''Megaphrynium macrostachyum'' is a species of large plant in the

Marantaceae The Marantaceae are a family, the arrowroot family, of flowering plants consisting of 31 genera and around 530 species, defining it as one of the most species-rich families in its order.Kennedy, H. (2000). “Diversification in pollination mechan ...

family native to tropical Africa. It grows in moist places and regenerates rapidly after ground disturbance or fire. The long stems have various uses in making cord, baskets and mats, and the large leaves are used for wrapping food, for making utensils and containers, and in

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...

Description

''Megaphrynium macrostachyum'' is a rhizomatous perennial plant up to tall. Each stem bears a single leaf and an inflorescence, the remaining leaves arising directly from the rhizome which can be long. These leaves are borne on petioles up to long which sheath the stem at its base and have calloused portions just below the blade. Each leaf blade is ovate/elliptical, up to , with a rounded base and acute apex. The inflorescence forms a spike just below the calloused portion of the petiole, with branches formed of zig-zag nodes. The small flowers are bisexual and subtended by bracts and are white to bluish-purple. They are followed by three-lobed, globular fruits which turn bright red and split open when ripe. The three seeds embedded in white pulp are purplish-black.

Distribution

''Megaphrynium macrostachyum'' is native to tropical, sub-Saharan Africa, its range extending from Liberia to South Sudan and Uganda, and southward to Gabon, the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, at altitudes of up to .

Ecology

''Megaphrynium macrostachyum'' is a large, fast-growing plant. It occurs in wet habitats in both primary and secondary forests, in clearings, in logged areas and on fallow land. It regenerates from the rhizome after wildfires and other disturbances and may form dense, monospecific patches which may reduce the regeneration of trees. The flowers are attractive to bees and the rhizomes are eaten by

gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

chimpanzee The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...

s and

bonobo The bonobo (; ''Pan paniscus''), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee, is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus '' Pan,'' the other being the comm ...

Uses

The leaves of ''Megaphrynium macrostachyum'' are used to wrap food while it is cooking, imparting a characteristic

aroma An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and animals can perceive via their sense ...

to the food. The young leaves can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable and older leaves are used to make disposable table-wear, containers, funnels, pots, fans and parasols. The petioles, either whole or split, are used to make cord, baskets and mats. The leaves are also used in

as a

sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement. They are CNS depressants and interact with brain activity causing its deceleration. Various kinds of sedatives can be distinguished, but t ...

and to treat

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

and mental problems, another use being as an antidote to snake

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

and

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...

stings.

Research

''Megaphrynium macrostachyum'' has been used in research into the manufacture of silver nanoparticles by plant extracts. The nanoparticles show antimicrobial activity against ''

Escherichia coli ''Escherichia coli'' (),Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. also known as ''E. coli'' (), is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Escher ...

'' and can "find immense application in the field of biomedical appliances and formulation of antimicrobial agents and in combination with antibiotics". Other research showed that a leaf extract given at low dose rates may positively affect blood producing tissues.

References

{{Taxonbar Marantaceae Flora of Africa