Nothocestrum

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

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

Familia: Solanaceae
Subfamilia: Solanoideae
Tribus: Physaleae
Subtribus: Withaniinae
Genus: Nothocestrum
Species: N. breviflorum – N. latifolium – N. longifolium – N. peltatum
Name

Nothocestrum A.Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 6: 48. (1862)

Type species: Nothocestrum latifolium A.Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 6: 48 (1862)

References

Gray, A. 1862. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 6: 48–49.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Nothocestrum in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2020 Nov. 1. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Nothocestrum. Published online. Accessed: Nov. 1 2020.
Tropicos.org 2020. Nothocestrum. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 1 Nov. 2020.

Nothocestrum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. It contains four species of large shrubs or small trees that are endemic to Hawaii, where they are known as ʻaiea. [2]

Species

Nothocestrum breviflorum A.Gray – Smallflower ʻaiea (island of Hawaiʻi)
Nothocestrum latifolium A.Gray – Broadleaf ʻaiea (Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi)
Nothocestrum longifolium A.Gray – Longleaf ʻaiea (island of Hawaiʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi)
Nothocestrum peltatum Skottsb. – Oʻahu ʻaiea (Kauaʻi)

Medicinal use

The leaves, bark, and tap root of Nothocestrum spp. were used to make infusions applied topically to treat abscesses, the plant parts being pounded, mixed with water, strained, heated with hot rocks, and cooled before application. The same plant parts were also made into a liquid medicine taken internally to treat abscesses. This medicine also contained ‘ohi‘a bark (Metrosideros spp.), moa holo kula (Psilotum nudum) and kō honua‘ula (red/purple sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum).[3]
References

"Nothocestrum A.Gray". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2009-09-01. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
"ʻaiea, halena". Hawaiian Ethnobotany Database. Bernice P. Bishop Museum. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
http://data.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/ethnobotany.php?b=d&ID=aiea