''Rhaphithamnus'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

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. Th ...

. 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 subs ...

or poisonous, so their consumption is not recommended.

Species

* '' Rhaphithamnus spinosus'' ( Juss.)

Moldenke Moldenke is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Charles Edward Moldenke (1860–1935), American Egyptologist *Edward Frederick Moldenke Edward Frederick Moldenke (or Moldehnke; 10 August 1836 – 25 June 1904) was a Lutheran the ...

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. His grandson, Rodulfo Amando Philippi Bañad ...

) Rob.

Use in Chilean folk medicine

In the

Los Lagos Region Los Lagos Region ( es, Región de Los Lagos , ''Region of the Lakes'') is one of Chile's 16 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains ...

of southern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

'' 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 neurotransmitter called acetylcholine (ACh) at synapses in the central and peripheral nervous system. These agents inhibit the parasympathetic nervous syste ...

poisoning caused by the dangerous hallucinogenic plant ''

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

'' (

Solanaceae The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and o ...

). It is used by the

shamans Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a Spirit world (Spiritualism), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as tranc ...

of the indigenous

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

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. The Botanic Garden was established in 1869 and was gifted to Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 1969. It is now operated ...

. 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