''Chiranthodendron'' is a
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
in the family
Malvaceae
Malvaceae (), or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include Theobroma cacao, cacao, Cola (plant), cola, cotton, okra, Hibiscus sabdariffa, ...
. It comprises a single species of tree, ''Chiranthodendron pentadactylon''.
Names
The tree is called the devil's, monkey's or Mexican hand tree or the hand-flower in English, the árbol de las manitas (''tree of little hands'') in Spanish, Canak in Mayan and mācpalxōchitl
[Emory Dean Keoke, Kay Marie Porterfield, ''Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World'' (2002), page 118: "For lower abdominal pain, the patient would be prescribed ''macpalxochitl'' (''Chiranthodendron'')"] (''
palm
Palm most commonly refers to:
* Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand
* Palm plants, of family Arecaceae
** List of Arecaceae genera
**Palm oil
* Several other plants known as "palm"
Palm or Palms may also refer to:
Music ...
flower'') in
Nahuatl
Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...
, all on account of its distinctive red flowers, which resemble open human
hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...
s. The scientific name means "five-fingered hand-flower tree".
Description
This species is native to Guatemala and southern Mexico.
On the wet slopes of these areas, trees may reach in height.
The unusual appearance of the 'hands' has stimulated cultivation in gardens around the world, primarily in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
where it grows well near its native range. The leaves are large and shallowly lobed, with a brown
indumentum
In biology, an indumentum (Latin, literally: "garment") is a covering of trichomes (fine "hairs") on a plant or of bristles (rarely scales) of an insect.
Plants
The indumentum on plants can have a wide variety of functions, including as ...
on the underside. The distinctive flowers appear in late spring and early summer; the five stamens are long, curved upward, and bright red, giving the distinct impression of a clawed hand. Its fruit is a long oblong, five-lobed capsule which contains black seeds.
It was originally described from a single cultivated specimen grown in
Toluca
Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. Toluca has a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Grea ...
in the
Toluca Valley
The Toluca Valley is a valley in central Mexico, just west of the Valley of Mexico (Mexico City), the old name was Matlatzinco. The valley runs north–south for about , surrounded by mountains, the most imposing of which is the Nevado de Toluca V ...
, well outside the native range. The
Mayans
Maya () are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The ancient Maya civilization was formed by members of this group, and today's Maya are generally descended from people who lived w ...
revered the tree.
Intergeneric hybrid
It is closely related to ''
Fremontodendron'', sufficiently to produce an
intergeneric hybrid ×''Chiranthofremontia lenzii'' n, which has yellow flowers and a reduced form of the claw.
Uses
The Mayans and other Central American communities have used
solution
Solution may refer to:
* Solution (chemistry), a mixture where one substance is dissolved in another
* Solution (equation), in mathematics
** Numerical solution, in numerical analysis, approximate solutions within specified error bounds
* Solu ...
s containing the tree's flowers as a remedy for lower abdominal pain
and for heart problems.
[Nina L. Etkin, ''Eating on the Wild Side: The Pharmacologic, Ecologic and Social Implications of Using Noncultigens'' (2000), page 26: The Mayan also used the blossoms of the hand-flower tree (''Chiranthodendron pentadactylon'') as a blood or heart tonic. ..water-based solutions of the flowers reduce edema and serum cholesterol levels (Jiu 1966). he tree...also acts as a diuretic (due to the glycosides quercetin and luteolin) and, when ingested regularly as a decocted beverage, is most likely effective in treating cardiopulmonary insufficiency (Logan 1981).] Such solutions also reduce
edema
Edema (American English), also spelled oedema (British English), and also known as fluid retention, swelling, dropsy and hydropsy, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue (biology), tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. S ...
and serum
cholesterol
Cholesterol is the principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body Tissue (biology), tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in Animal fat, animal fats and oils.
Cholesterol is biosynthesis, biosynthesized by all anima ...
levels and, because they contain the
glycoside
In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...
s
quercetin
Quercetin is a plant flavonol from the flavonoid group of polyphenols. It is found in many fruits, vegetables, leaves, seeds, and grains; capers, red onions, and kale are common foods containing appreciable amounts of it. It has a bitter flavor ...
and
luteolin, act as
diuretic
A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics ...
s.
In Central America and part of Southern Mexico, the flower is extracted in hot water and taken as tea for these medical purposes. It can also be used externally as a wash.
References
Malvaceae info page
External links
*
{{Authority control
Bombacoideae
Malvaceae genera
Monotypic Malvales genera
Flora of Mexico
Flora of Guatemala
Ornamental trees
Garden plants of North America