Asteranthe asterias

Asteranthe asterias is a species of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is native to Kenya and Tanzania.[2] Spencer Le Marchant Moore, the English botanist who first formally described the species using the basionym Uvaria asterias, did not explicitly explain the epithet, but was likely referencing the star-like appearance of its flower’s petals.[3]

Asteranthe asterias
Botanical illustration of Asteranthe asterias
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Annonaceae
Genus: Asteranthe
Species:
A. asterias
Binomial name
Asteranthe asterias
Synonyms

Asteranthe trollii Diels
Asteranthopsis asterias (S.Moore) Pilg.
Uvaria asterias S.Moore

Description

It is a tree reaching 1.5 to 8 meters in height. Its young branches are covered in dense grey or rust colored hairs. Its mature branches are hairless and have lenticels. Its oval to oblong leaves are 4-16.5 by 2-6 centimeters and come to a tapering point at their tips. The leaves are hairless and sometimes shiny on their upper surface, while their lower surface is densely hairy when young, but when mature hairless. Its petioles are 2-7 millimeters long. Its fragrant, hermaphroditic flowers are on 3-8 millimeter long pedicels that have oval, hairy bracteoles that are 2.5-4 by 1-1.5 millimeters. Its sepals are 0.6-1.2 by 4-7 millimeters, covered in dense rust colored hairs, and come to a tapered point at their tip. Its flowers have 6 petals. The petals are green when young, turning to a cream-color with deep purple highlights extending from their thick bases. The petals are 2.5-6 by 0.7-1.5 centimeters and taper to a sharp point at their tip. The petals are dense with silky hairs on the outer surface of their base, but less so at their apex. Its stamens are 1.5-2.5 millimeters long. Its flowers have 10-22 green, oblong, densely hairy carpels that are 2-2.5 millimeters long. Its carpels have around 10 ovules. Its fruit are 2-4 by 0.8-1 centimeters and covered in dense, brown, velvety hairs. Its yellow to brown seeds are 7-8 by 4-5 millimeters.[4][5]

Reproductive biology

Its pollen is shed as permanent tetrads.[6]

Distribution and habitat

It has been observed growing in coastal areas at elevations of 10 meters.[3][5]

Uses

Bioactive molecules extracted from the bark of the stems and roots have been reported to have antiplasmodial and antitrypanosomal activities.[7][8]

References
  1. Eastern Arc Mountains & Coastal Forests CEPF Plant Assessment Project (2009). "Asteranthe asterias". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T62582A12592027. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T62582A12592027.en.
  2. "Asteranthe asterias (S.Moore) Engl. & Diels". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  3. Moore, S. Le M. (1877). "Alabastra Diversa". Journal of Botany, British and Foreign. 15: 289.
  4. Verdcourt, B. (1971). "ASTERANTHE asterias (S. Moore) Engl & Diels [family ANNONACEAE]". JSTOR Global Plants. ITHAKA. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  5. Engler, Adolf (1901). "Anonaceae. Bearbeiter von A. Engler und L. Diels". Monographien afrikanischer Pflanzen-Familien und -Gattungen (in German and Latin). 6. Leipzig: Engelmann. p. 30.
  6. Couvreur, Thomas L. P.; Botermans, Marleen; van Heuven, Bertie Joan; van der Ham, Raymond W. J. M. (2008). "Pollen morphology within the Monodora clade, a diverse group of five African Annonaceae genera". Grana. 47 (3): 185–210. doi:10.1080/00173130802256913. ISSN 0017-3134.
  7. Nkunya, M. H. H.; Jonker, S. A.; Mdee, L. K.; Waibel, R.; Achenbach, H. (1996). "New Diprenylated Indoles fromAsteranthe Asterias(Annonaceae)". Natural Product Letters. 9 (1): 71–78. doi:10.1080/10575639608043581. ISSN 1057-5634.
  8. Freiburghaus, F; Jonker, S.A; Nkunya, M.H.H; Mwasumbi, L.B; Brun, R (1997). "In vitro trypanocidal activity of some rare Tanzanian medicinal plants". Acta Tropica. 66 (2): 79–83. doi:10.1016/S0001-706X(97)00034-X. ISSN 0001-706X. PMID 9227800.
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