''Rhaphithamnus'' is a genus of

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 ...

s in the family

Verbenaceae The Verbenaceae ( ), the verbena family or vervain family, is a family of mainly tropical flowering plants. It contains trees, shrubs, and herbs notable for heads, spikes, or clusters of small flowers, many of which have an aromatic smell. T ...

. Traditionally, it has been considered by the locals that the berries of this genus of plants are

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

or poisonous, so their consumption is not recommended.

Species

* '' Rhaphithamnus spinosus'' (

Juss. Antoine Laurent de Jussieu (; 12 April 1748 – 17 September 1836) was a French botanist, notable as the first to publish a natural classification of flowering plants; much of his system remains in use today. His classification was based on an e ...

)

Moldenke Moldenke is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Charles Edward Moldenke (1860–1935), American Egyptologist *Edward Frederick Moldenke (1836–1904), Lutheran theologian and missionary of Germany and the U.S. *Harold Norman Molden ...

. Common names in Chile and Argentina ''repu'', ''arayan macho'' and ''espino negro'' ( = 'black-thorn'). * '' Rhaphithamnus venustus'' (

Phil. Rodolfo Amando (or Rudolph Amandus) Philippi (14 September 1808 – 23 July 1904) was a German–Chilean paleontologist and zoologist. Philippi contributed primarily to malacology and paleontology, but also published a major work on Diptera of C ...

) Rob.

Use in Chilean folk medicine

In the

Los Lagos Region Los Lagos Region ( , 'Region of the Lakes') is one of regions of Chile, Chile's 16 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé Province, Chiloé, Llanquihue Province, Llanquihue, Osorno Provin ...

of southern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, '' R. spinosus'' is one of three plant species believed in local folk medicine to be antidotes to the

anticholinergic Anticholinergics (anticholinergic agents) are substances that block the action of the acetylcholine (ACh) neurotransmitter at synapses in the central nervous system, central and peripheral nervous system. These agents inhibit the parasympatheti ...

poisoning caused by the dangerous hallucinogenic plant ''

Latua pubiflora ''Latua pubiflora'' (common name in Spanish: ''árbol de los brujos'', ''tree of the sorcerers'') is the single species of the monotypic genus ''Latua'', endemic to the coastal mountains of southern Chile. A shrub or small tree to 10 m in he ...

'' (

Solanaceae Solanaceae (), commonly known as the nightshades, is a family of flowering plants in the order Solanales. It contains approximately 2,700 species, several of which are used as agricultural crops, medicinal plants, and ornamental plants. Many me ...

). It is used by the

shamans Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of th ...

of the indigenous

Huilliche people The Huilliche (), Huiliche or Huilliche-Mapuche are the southern partiality of the Mapuche macroethnic group in Chile and Argentina. Located in the Zona Sur, they inhabit both Futahuillimapu ("great land of the south") and, as the Cunco or Ve ...

who employ ''Latua'' to enter trance in ''machitun'' healing rituals.Plowman, Timothy, Gyllenhaal, Lars Olof and Lindgren, Jan Erik Latua pubiflora magic plant from southern Chile Botanical Museum Leaflets Harvard University Vol. 23, No. 2, Cambridge, Massachusetts, November 12, 1971

Gallery

File:Raphithamnus spinosus (17045784937).jpg, ''Rhaphithamnus spinosus'' in flower. File:Rhaphithamnus spinosus-rama.JPG, Spiny twigs of ''Rhaphithamnus spinosus''. File:Rhaphithamnus spinosus fruit at Logan.jpg, Mid-shot of fruiting specimen of R. spinosus in Chilean planting at

Logan Botanic Garden Logan Botanic Garden is a botanical garden near Port Logan on the Rhins of Galloway, at the south-western tip of Scotland. It is operated as part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's Living Collection. It has been described as "Scotland's mos ...

. File:Rhaphithamnus spinosus (8730120818).jpg, Close-up of striking, bluish-purple fruits of ''Rhaphithamnus spinosus''.

References

External links

Verbenaceae Verbenaceae genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Verbenaceae-stub