''Ancistrocladus'' is a

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 ...

of woody

lianas A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the Canopy (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

in the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

family ''Ancistrocladaceae''. The branches climb by twining other stems or by scrambling with hooked tips. They are found in the tropics of the Old World.

Classification

The

APG II system The APG II system (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II system) of plant classification is the second, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly Molecular phylogenetics, molecular-based, list of systems of plant taxonomy, system of plant taxonomy that ...

, of 2003 (unchanged from the

APG system The APG system (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system) of plant classification is the first version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy. Published in 1998 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, it was replaced by the improved ...

, of 1998), also recognizes this family and assigns it to the order

Caryophyllales Caryophyllales ( ) is a diverse and heterogeneous order of flowering plants with well-known members including cacti, carnations, beets, quinoa, spinach, amaranths, pigfaces and ice plants, oraches and saltbushes, goosefoots, sundews, Venu ...

in the clade

core eudicots The eudicots or eudicotyledons are flowering plants that have two seed leaves (cotyledons) upon germination. The term derives from ''dicotyledon'' (etymologically, ''eu'' = true; ''di'' = two; ''cotyledon'' = seed leaf). Historically, authors h ...

. Recent molecular and biochemical evidence (see th
AP-Website
suggests the carnivorous taxa in the order

(the families

Droseraceae Droseraceae is a family of carnivorous flowering plants, also known as the sundew family. It consists of approximately 180 species in three extant genera, the vast majority being in the sundew genus '' Drosera''. The family also contains the wel ...

and Nepenthaceae and the species ''

Drosophyllum lusitanicum ''Drosophyllum'' ( , rarely ) is a genus of carnivorous plants containing the single species ''Drosophyllum lusitanicum'', commonly known as Portuguese sundew or dewy pine. In appearance, it is similar to the related genus ''Drosera'' (the sund ...

'' and ''

Triphyophyllum peltatum ''Triphyophyllum peltatum'' is a facultatively carnivorous,Walker, C. (2023)'sic''">Triggered by phosphorous 'sic''deficiency.Nature Plants, 9(6), 853-853. up to 60 m tall vineCross, A., Krueger, T., Restoration Ecology Lab, Ecological Health N ...

'') all belong to the same clade. This family Ancistrocladaceae would belong to this same clade, although the plants in the family are not carnivorous. A close relationship between this family and the family

Dioncophyllaceae The Dioncophyllaceae are a family of flowering plants consisting of three species of lianas native to the rainforests of western Africa. Their closest relatives are Ancistrocladaceae. Both families lie within a clade of mostly carnivorous plant ...

(containing the carnivorous species ''T. peltatum'') is supported by similar

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...

and

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

structure. The

Cronquist system The Cronquist system is a list of systems of plant taxonomy, taxonomic classification system of angiosperms, flowering plants. It was developed by Arthur Cronquist in a series of monographs and texts, including ''The Evolution and Classification of ...

, 1981, placed the family in the order [ iolales (together with

). The Takhtajan system placed the family in its own order Ancistrocladales.

Description

The only genus in the family Ancistrocladaceae is ''Ancistrocladus'', a little-known genus of about 20 species. These are

palaeotropical The Paleotropical kingdom (Paleotropis) is a floristic kingdom composed of the tropical areas of Africa, Asia and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), as proposed by Ronald Good and Armen Takhtajan. Part of its flora is inherited fr ...

, climbing, twining plants, found in lowland to submontane, wet to seasonal evergreen or swamp forests. The sparingly branched,

sympodial In botany, sympodial growth is a bifurcating branching pattern where one branch develops more strongly than the other, resulting in the stronger branches forming the primary shoot and the weaker branches appearing laterally. A sympodium, als ...

stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

is complex and can exceed 10 cm in diameter. It is along one side attached to the tree with grapnels (short, hooked lateral thorns, formed from modified stem apices), opposite to the leaves. Their

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are borne in dense, evergreen rosettes. They are entire, have short

s and lack

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole (botany), petiole). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part ...

s. They have a single wax-secreting

trichome Trichomes (; ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...

in the epidermal pits and glands on the abaxial surface. The flowers are small with a basally connate corolla, that are imbricate or rolled up lengthwise. The fruit is a nut with often wing-like accrescent

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

Distribution

The species of ''Ancistrocladus'' are native to tropical

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

Medicinal potential

Scientific interest in this genus has grown considerably because the

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

liana A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the Canopy (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

''Ancistrocladus korupensis'' is considered a potential anti-

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

source by the

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

because of its highly effective mode of action against HIV. This plant was discovered in

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

and subsequently recognized as a species new to science. Its ingredient michellamine B, an acetogenic napthyl isoquinoline

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

, contained in mature leaves, is the active principle. Also, korupensamine E is a new

antimalarial Antimalarial medications or simply antimalarials are a type of antiparasitic chemical agent, often naturally derived, that can be used to treat or to prevent malaria, in the latter case, most often aiming at two susceptible target groups, young ...

drug extracted from the same plant. ''Ancistrocladus abbreviatus'' has been used on traditional medicine in

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

, as treatment against

measles Measles (probably from Middle Dutch or Middle High German ''masel(e)'', meaning "blemish, blood blister") is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by Measles morbillivirus, measles v ...

and

fever Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...

. The active ingredient is ancistrobrevine D, an

extracted from this plant. Ancistrocline, an alkaloid derived from ''A. tectorius'', is used against

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

. Many other alkaloids are still being found in the other species.

Species

Species accepted as of July 2014:Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> # '' Ancistrocladus abbreviatus'' Airy Shaw - western Africa # '' Ancistrocladus attenuatus'' Dyer - West Bengal, Myanmar, Andaman Islands # '' Ancistrocladus barteri'' Scott-Elliot - western Africa # '' Ancistrocladus benomensis'' Rischer & G.Bringmann - Pahang # '' Ancistrocladus congolensis'' J.Léonard - Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Zaïre # '' Ancistrocladus ealaensis'' J.Léonard - Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Zaïre, Central African Republic # '' Ancistrocladus grandiflorus'' Cheek - Cameroon # '' Ancistrocladus griffithii'' Planch. - Indochina, Andaman Islands # '' Ancistrocladus guineensis'' Oliv. - Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon # '' Ancistrocladus hamatus'' (Vahl) Gilg - Sri Lanka # ''

Ancistrocladus heyneanus ''Ancistrocladus heyneanus'' or kardal is a liana endemic to the Western Ghats of southwestern India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-l ...

'' Wall. ex J.Graham - southwestern India # '' Ancistrocladus ileboensis'' Heubl, Mudogo & G.Bringmann - Congo-Brazzaville # '' Ancistrocladus korupensis'' D.W.Thomas & Gereau - Nigeria, Cameroon # '' Ancistrocladus letestui'' Pellegr. - Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Zaïre, Central African Republic # '' Ancistrocladus likoko'' J.Léonard - Congo-Brazzaville, Zaïre # '' Ancistrocladus pachyrrhachis '' Warb. - Liberia # '' Ancistrocladus robertsoniorum'' J.Léonard - Kenya # '' Ancistrocladus tanzaniensis'' Cheek & Frim. - Tanzania # '' Ancistrocladus tectorius'' (Lour.) Merr. - Andaman Islands, Cambodia, Hainan, Borneo, Sumatra, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam # '' Ancistrocladus uncinatus'' Hutch. & Dalziel - Nigeria # '' Ancistrocladus wallichii'' Planch. - Assam, Bangladesh, Andaman Islands

References

anti-AIDS source
*Cheek, M. (2000a). A synoptic revision of ''Ancistrocladus'' (Ancistrocladaceae) in Africa, with a new species from western Cameroon. Kew Bulletin

External links

Ancistrocladaceae
in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards).
The families of flowering plants
descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval.'' Version: 30 May 2006. http://delta-intkey.com
NCBI Taxonomy Browser
{{Taxonbar, from=Q131294 Caryophyllales genera Ancistrocladaceae