Ancistrocladus is a poorly known genus of about 20 species in the monogeneric family Ancistrocladaceae. Genera Ancistrocladus Ancistrocladaceae is the botanical name for a family of flowering plants. ...

These are palaeotropical climbing twining plants, found in lowland to submontane, wet to seasonal evergreen or swamp forests, with eleven species occurring in tropical Africa and at least five species in West India, SE Asia, Borneo and Taiwan. In biology, palaeotropical refers to geographical occurrence. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Kalimantan. ...

The sparingly branched, sympodial stem is complex and can exceed 10 cm 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. Orchids with sympodial growth have a specialized lateral growth pattern in which the terminal bud dies. ... Stem showing internode and nodes plus leaf petiole and new stem rising from node. ...

Their leaves are borne in dense, evergeeen rosettes. They are entire, have short petioles and lack stipules. They have a single wax-secreting trichome 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 sepals. Look up foliage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Leaf of Dog Rose (Rosa canina), showing the petiole and two leafy stipules In botany, the petiole is the small stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. ... The lanceolate-linear, paired stipules of Hibiscus kokio In botany, stipule refers to outgrowths borne on either side of the base of a leafstalk (or petiole). ... Trichomes, from the Greek meaning growth of hair, are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants and protists. ... Corolla can be: A Latin-language term for crown The Toyota Corolla, a model of automobile manufactured by Toyota The corolla is one whorl of the perianth of a flower and composed of petals The town of Corolla, North Carolina This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that... Flower of the Primrose Willowherb (Ludwigia octovalvis) showing petals and sepals A sepal is one member or part of the calyx of a flower. ...

Scientific interest in this genus has grown considerably because the canopy liana Ancistrocladus korupensis is considered a potential anti-AIDS source by the National Cancer Institute. Its ingredient michellamine B, an acetogenic napthyl isoquinoline alkaloid, contained in mature leaves, is the active principle. Also korupensamine E is a new antimalarial drug extracted from the same plant. The canopy is the habitat found at the uppermost level of a forest, especially rainforest. ... A liana is woody climber. ... Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ... The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is part of the United States Federal governments National Institutes of Health. ... Chemical structure of ephedrine, a phenethylamine alkaloid An alkaloid is, strictly speaking, a naturally occurring amine produced by a plant,[1] but amines produced by animals and fungi are also called alkaloids. ... Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. ...

Ancistrocladus abbreviatus has been used on traditional medicine in Ghana, as treatment against measles and fever. The active ingredient is ancistrobrevine D, an alkaloid extracted from this plant. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Chemical structure of ephedrine, a phenethylamine alkaloid An alkaloid is, strictly speaking, a naturally occurring amine produced by a plant,[1] but amines produced by animals and fungi are also called alkaloids. ...

Ancistrocline, an alkaloid derived from Ancistrocladus tectorius, is used against dysentery. Dysentery (formerly known as flux or the bloody flux) is the term for tenesmus (painful straining to pass stool), cramping, and frequent, small-volume severe diarrhea associated with blood in the feces. ...

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

Species

• Ancistrocladus abbreviatus Airy Shaw
  • Ancistrocladus abbreviatus subsp. lateralis Gereau
• Ancistrocladus attenuatus Dyer (Myanmar)
• Ancistrocladus barteri Scott-Elliot (Guinea)
• Ancistrocladus congolensis J. Léonard (Congo)
• Ancistrocladus ealaensis J. Léonard (Congo)
• Ancistrocladus extensus Wall. ex Planch. (Cambodia)
• Ancistrocladus grandiflorus Cheek (Cameroon)
• Ancistrocladus griffithii Planch.
• Ancistrocladus guineensis Oliv. (Nigeria)
• Ancistrocladus hainanensis Hayata. (Hainan, China)
• Ancistrocladus hamatus (Vahl) Gilg (Sri Lanka)
• Ancistrocladus heyneanus Wall. ex J. Graham (India)
• Ancistrocladus korupensis D.W. Thomas & Gereau (Cameroon)
• Ancistrocladus letestui Pellegr. (Gabon)
• Ancistrocladus likoko J. Léonard (Congo)
• Ancistrocladus pentagynus Warb.
• Ancistrocladus pinangianus Wall. ex Planch.
• Ancistrocladus robertsoniorum J. Léonard (Kenya)
• Ancistrocladus sagittatus Wall. ex Planch.
• Ancistrocladus stelligerus Wall. ex DC.
• Ancistrocladus tanzaniensis Cheek & Frim. (Tanzania)
• Ancistrocladus tectorius (Lour.) Merr. (Thailand)
• Ancistrocladus uncinatus Hutch. & Dalziel (Nigeria)
• Ancistrocladus wallichii Planch.
• Ancistrocladus sp. (proposed name : Ancistrocladus benomensis) (Malaysia)

References

• anti-AIDS source
• Taylor, Charlotte M., Gereau, Roy E. , and Walters, Gretchen M. (2005). "Revision of Ancistrocladus Wall. (Ancistrocladaceae)". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 92 (3): 360–399. 
• Cheek, M. (2000a). A synoptic revision of Ancistrocladus (Ancistrocladaceae) in Africa, with a new species from western Cameroon. Kew Bulletin