Adenia

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Malpighiales

Familia: Passifloraceae
Genus: Adenia
Species: A. aculeata – A. acuta – A. adenifera – A. angulosa – A. antongilliana – A. ballyi – A. banaensis – A. barthelatii – A. bequaertii – A. boivinii – A. cardiophylla – A. cissampeloides – A. cladosepala – A. cordifolia – A. crassa – A. cynanchifolia – A. densiflora – A. digitata – A. dinklagei – A. dolichosiphon – A. ecirrosa – A. elegans – A. ellenbeckii – A. epigea – A. erecta – A. fasciculata – A. fernandesiana – A. firingalavensis – A. fruticosa – A. gedoensis – A. glauca – A. globosa – A. goetzei – A. gracilis – A. guineensis – A. gummifera – A. hastata – A. heterophylla – A. hondala – A. huillensis – A. inermis – A. isaloensis – A. karibaensis – A. keramanthus – A. kigogoensis – A. kinabaluensis – A. kirkii – A. lanceolata – A. lapiazicola – A. latipetala – A. letouzeyi – A. lewallei – A. lindiensis – A. litoralis – A. lobata – A. longistipulata – A. macrophylla – A. malangeana – A. mannii – A. mcdadiana – A. metamorpha – A. metriosiphon – A. monadelpha – A. mossambicensis – A. natalensis – A. olaboensis – A. ovata – A. pachyphylla – A. panduriformis – A. pechuelii – A. peltata – A. penangiana – A. perrieri – A. pierrei – A. pinnatisecta – A. poggei – A. poilanei – A. pulchra – A. pyromorpha – A. racemosa – A. refracta – A. repanda – A. reticulata – A. rumicifolia – A. schliebenii – A. schweinfurthii – A. sphaerocarpa – A. spinosa – A. staudtii – A. stenodactyla – A. stolzii – A. stricta – A. stylosa – A. subsessilifolia – A. tisserantii – A. tricostata – A. trilobata – A. trisecta – A. tuberifera – A. venenata – A. viridiflora – A. volkensii – A. welwitschii – A. wightiana – A. wilmsii – A. zambesiensis
Name

Adenia Forssk. Fl. Aegypt.-Arab. 77. (1775)

Type species: Adenia venenata Forssk. Fl. Aegypt.-Arab. 77. (1775)

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Blepharanthes Sm.
Clemanthus Klotzsch
Echinothamnus Engl.
Erythrocarpus M.Roem.
Jaeggia Schinz
Keramanthus Hook.f.
Kolbia P.Beauv.
Machadoa Welw. ex Benth. & Hook.f.
Microblepharis M.Roem.
Modecca Lam.
Ophiocaulon Hook.f.
Paschanthus Burch.

References
Primary references

Forsskål, P. 1775. Nova Genera. Adenia. Flora Aegyptiaco-Arabica, pl. 77, descr. 1775. BHL

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Adenia in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Nov. 10. Reference page.
Hassler, M. Nov.. Adenia. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. Nov.. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: Nov. 10 {{{3}}}. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Adenia. Published online. Accessed: Nov. 10 2020.
Tropicos.org 2020. Adenia. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Nov. 10.

Adenia is a genus of flowering plants in the passionflower family, Passifloraceae. It is distributed in the Old World tropics and subtropics.[1] The centers of diversity are in Madagascar, eastern and western tropical Africa, and Southeast Asia.[2] The genus name Adenia comes from "aden",[3] reported as the Arabic name for the plant by Peter Forsskål, the author of the genus.[4]

Description

All Adenia are perennial plants, but there are many different forms, including herbs, vines, lianas, shrubs, and trees.[5] Many are succulents and some are pachycauls. Some have fibrous root systems and some have tubers.[5] Adenia can be found in a wide variety of habitat types, from dry African deserts to wet Southeast Asian rainforests.[5] There are some 100 species in the genus.[6]

Adenia have alternately arranged leaves borne on petioles. There are two glands located near the attachment of the blade to the petiole.[1] Most species are dioecious.[5] Inflorescences of a few to many flowers occur in the leaf axils. There is a stipe below the flower. The calyx of sepals around the base of the flower has five lobes. The five petals are usually smaller than the sepals and may be whitish or greenish. The male flower has five stamens. In the female flower these are reduced to staminodes. There are three styles tipped with stigmas that may be long-hairy to very woolly. The fruit is a red capsule. Each black seed has a fleshy aril.[1]

Adenia species can be difficult to identify and distinguish. Individuals of a species can be variable. One plant can have leaves of varying shapes and sizes, and young and old specimens can have different leaf types. Some taxa are poorly represented in herbarium collections, leaving few examples to compare with new specimens. Records of some taxa lack descriptions of both flower types. Many species only flower for a few weeks, and during this time they may also lose their leaves. Succulent plants can be difficult to properly collect and preserve.[2]

Uses

Several species are used in traditional African medicine. Various parts of A. cissampeloides are used to treat many conditions, including gastrointestinal problems, inflammation, pain, fever, malaria, leprosy, scabies, cholera, anemia, bronchitis, sexually transmitted diseases, menorrhagia, and mental illness.[7] It is used both as an abortifacient and to prevent miscarriage.[7] A. dinklagei leaves are ingested to treat palpitations. The leaves of A. tricostata are used to treat fever. The leaves or leaf sap of A. bequaertii are taken to treat headache, mental illness, and possession.[7] A. lobata stems are applied to sites of Guinea worm infection during extraction of the worm. It is also used as an enema and an aphrodisiac.[8]

A. cissampeloides is used as a fish poison and arrow poison. The red-colored sap is used as a cosmetic. The stems can be made into rope. The crushed twigs or smoke from burning roots can be used to calm honeybees during honey harvest.[7]

The leaves of A. cissampeloides are eaten as a vegetable in parts of Africa.[7]

A. digitata is cultivated as an ornamental plant for its very large, distinctive aboveground tuber.[9]
Toxicity

Many Adenia are poisonous. They contain lectins such as lanceolin, stenodactylin, and volkensin, which are toxic to cells. They cause apoptosis, hemagglutination, inhibition of protein synthesis, and depurination of ribosomes and DNA.[10] Mouse experiments with small doses of lanceolin and stenodactylin, from A. lanceolata and A. stenodactyla, respectively, revealed that they are "amongst the most potent toxins of plant origin".[11]

The fruit of A. digitata has been used in Africa to commit homicide and suicide.[9]
Diversity
Adenia fruticosa
Adenia hondala

There are approximately 100 species in the genus.[1][2]

Species include:[12][13]

Adenia aculeata Engl.
Adenia acuta
Adenia boivinii
Adenia cardiophylla
Adenia cissampeloides (Planch. ex Hook.) Harms – monkey rope, snake climber, wild granadilla
Adenia cladosepala (Baker) Harms
Adenia densiflora
Adenia digitata Engl.
Adenia ellenbeckii Harms
Adenia firingalavense (Drake ex Jum.) Harms
Adenia formosana Hayata
Adenia fruticosa Burtt Davy
Adenia glauca Schinz
Adenia globosa Engl.
Adenia goetzii
Adenia gummifera
Adenia heterophylla [14]
Adenia hondala (Gaertn.) W.J.de Wilde
Adenia huillensis
Adenia karibaensis
Adenia keramanthus Harms
Adenia kigogoensis[2]
Adenia kirkii
Adenia lanceolata
Adenia litoralis[2]
Adenia lobata (Jacq.) Engl.
Adenia macrophylla
Adenia mcdadiana[2]
Adenia metamorpha[2]
Adenia olaboensis Claverie
Adenia pachyphylla
Adenia pechuelii Harms
Adenia penangiana
Adenia pyromorpha
Adenia racemosa
Adenia repanda
Adenia rumicifolia
Adenia spinosa Burtt Davy
Adenia stenodactyla
Adenia stylosa
Adenia subsessilifolia H.Perrier
Adenia venenata Forssk. – akerbia
Adenia volkensii Harms – kiliambiti
Adenia wightiana

References

Adenia. Flora of China.
Hearn, David J. (2007). "Novelties in Adenia (Passifloraceae): Four New Species, a New Combination, a Vegetative Key, and Diagnostic Characters for Known Madagascan Species". Brittonia. 59 (4): 308–27. doi:10.1663/0007-196X(2007)59[308:NIAPFN]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 30218764.
Eggli, U.; Newton, L.E. (2004). Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 3. ISBN 978-3-540-00489-9. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
Peter Forsskål. Flora Aegyptiaco-Arabica. 1775. page 77
Hearn, David J. (2006). "Adenia (Passifloraceae) and its adaptive radiation: phylogeny and growth form diversification". Systematic Botany. 31 (4): 805–21. doi:10.1600/036364406779695933. JSTOR 25064211. S2CID 86541538.
http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/Passifloraceae/Adenia/
Grace, O. M. and D. Fowler. 2007. Adenia cissampeloides (Planch. ex Hook.) Harms. Archived 8 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine In: Schmelzer, G. H. and A. Gurib-Fakim (Eds.) Prota 11(1): Medicinal Plants/Plantes médicinales 1. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands.
Zimudzi, C. 2007. Adenia lobata (Jacq.) Engl. Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine In: Schmelzer, G. H. and A. Gurib-Fakim (Eds.) Prota 11(1): Medicinal Plants/Plantes médicinales 1. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands.
de Ruijter, A. 2007. Adenia digitata (Harv.) Engl. In: Schmelzer, G. H. and A. Gurib-Fakim (Eds.) Prota 11(1): Medicinal Plants/Plantes médicinales 1. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands.
Mercatelli D, Bortolotti M, Andresen V, et al. (May 2020). "Early Response to the Plant Toxin Stenodactylin in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells Involves Inflammatory and Apoptotic Signaling". Front. Pharmacol. 11: 630. doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.00630. PMC 7226368. PMID 32457623.
Stirpe F, Bolognesi A, Bortolotti M, et al. (July 2007). "Characterization of highly toxic type 2 ribosome-inactivating proteins from Adenia lanceolata and Adenia stenodactyla (Passifloraceae)". Toxicon. 50 (1): 94–105. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2007.02.020. PMID 17434551.
GRIN Species Records of Adenia. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
Adenia. Madagascar Catalogue. eFloras.

The Australasian Virtual Herbarium

Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Adenia.

Hearn, David J. (2009). "Descriptive anatomy and evolutionary patterns of anatomical diversification in Adenia (Passifloraceae)". Aliso. 27 (1): 13–38. doi:10.5642/aliso.20092701.03.
Hearn DJ (November 2009). "Developmental patterns in anatomy are shared among separate evolutionary origins of stem succulent and storage root-bearing growth habits in Adenia (Passifloraceae)". American Journal of Botany. 96 (11): 1941–56. doi:10.3732/ajb.0800203. PMID 21622314.