''Macropsychanthus megacarpus'' (syn. ''Dioclea megacarpa'') is a species of flowering plant in the family

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

, native to Central America, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, northern Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and the

Windward Islands The Windward Islands are the southern, generally larger islands of the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean islands or the West Indies. Located approximately between latitudes 10° and 16° N and longitudes 60° and 62° W, they extend from D ...

. A climber, it is typically found in wet tropical rainforests. Its seeds contain large amounts of the non-proteinogenic amino acid L-canavanine, which replaces the essential

arginine Arginine is the amino acid with the formula (H2N)(HN)CN(H)(CH2)3CH(NH2)CO2H. The molecule features a guanidinium, guanidino group appended to a standard amino acid framework. At physiological pH, the carboxylic acid is deprotonated (−CO2−) a ...

producing abnormal

proteins Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, re ...

and

enzymes An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as pro ...

and resulting in severe malnutrition to insect pests and other herbivores.

References

Diocleae Flora of Central America Flora of Trinidad and Tobago Flora of the Windward Islands Flora of western South America Flora of Northeast Brazil Flora of North Brazil Plants described in 2020 {{Faboideae-stub