Camptotheca

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Ordo: Cornales

Familia: Nyssaceae
Genus: Camptotheca
Species: C. acuminata – C. lowreyana

Paleospecies: †C. manchesterii
Name

Camptotheca Decne., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 20: 157. (1873)

Type species: Camptotheca acuminata Decne., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 20: 157. (1873)

Synonyms

Homotypic
Nyssopsis Post & Kuntze, Lex. Gen. Phan.: 393 (1903)

References

Decaisne, J. 1873. Bulletin de la Société Botanique de France 20: 157. BHL
Govaerts, R. et al. 2016. Camptotheca in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2016 Jan. 16. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2016. Camptotheca. Published online. Accessed: Jan. 16 2016.
Tropicos.org 2016. Camptotheca. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 16 Jan. 2016.

Camptotheca (happy tree, cancer tree, or tree of life) is a genus of medium-sized deciduous trees growing to 20 metres (66 ft) tall, native to southern China and Tibet. The genus is usually included in the tupelo family Nyssaceae, but sometimes included (with the tupelos) in the dogwood family Cornaceae.

The name "happy tree" is a direct translation of the Chinese name xǐ shù (Simplified Chinese:喜树).

There are two species:

Camptotheca acuminata Decne.
Camptotheca lowreyana S.Y.Li

The bark and stems of C. acuminata contain the alkaloid camptothecin.[1] Several chemical derivatives of camptothecin are under investigation for or used as drugs for cancer treatment, including irinotecan, topotecan, rubitecan.[2]

C. acuminata also contains the chemical compounds trifolin and hyperoside.[1]
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Camptotheca.

Li, S.; Zhang, Z.; Cain, A.; Wang, B.; Long, M.; Taylor, J. (2005). "Antifungal Activity of Camptothecin, Trifolin, and Hyperoside Isolated from Camptotheca acuminata". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 53 (1): 32–37. doi:10.1021/jf0484780. PMID 15631505.
G. Samuelsson (2004). Drugs of Natural Origin: a Textbook of Pharmacognosy (5th ed.). Stokkholm: Swedish pharmaceutical press. ISBN 978-91-974318-4-2.