Annona stenophylla

Annona stenophylla is a species of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is native to Tanzania and Zambia.[1] Adolf Engler and Ludwig Diels, the German botanists who first formally described the species, named it after its narrow leaves (Latinized forms of Greek στενός, stenós, and φύλλον, phúllon).[2][3]

Annona stenophylla
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Annonaceae
Genus: Annona
Species:
A. stenophylla
Binomial name
Annona stenophylla
Synonyms[1]

Annona friesii Robyns & Ghesq.

Description

It is a bush 0.3 to 1 meters in height. Its membranous, narrow leaves are 4-18 by 1-6 centimeters. The tips of its leaves can come to a point, be rounded, or be slightly indented. Its leaves are hairless and blueish green on their upper surface and have paler lower surface covered in dense, fine hairs. Its leaves have 5-7 orange to red secondary veins emanating from either side of their midribs. Its petioles are 0.8-10 millimeters long and have a groove. Its solitary flowers are on hairy, extra-axillary pedicels that are 0.8-2.5 centimeters long. The peduncles are covered in fine woolly hairs. Its triangular sepals are 2.5-3 by 3-4 millimeters. The outer surface of the sepals are covered in woolly hairs and their inner surface is hairless. Its flowers have two rows of petals. The thick, leathery, oval to triangular, green outer petals are 0.8-1 by 0.8-1.2 centimeters. The concave outer petals come to a shallow point at their tips and are concave and are covered in dense fine hairs on their outer surface. Its oblong, narrow inner petals are 6-10 by 1.5-2.5 millimeters and hairless. Its stamens are 1.5-2 millimeters long. The tissue connecting the lobes of the anthers overgrows to form a cap. Its cylindrical carpels are 1-1.5 millimeters long and hairless. Its fruit are on 1.5-4 centimeter long, hairy pedicels. Its fruit are dark yellow, oval to round, 1.7-3 centimeters in diameter, hairless and have an outer surface that has a network pattern. Its numerous seeds are brown, oval, flat and 7-9 by 3-4 millimeters with a caruncle at one end.[3][4]

Reproductive biology

The pollen of A. stenophylla is shed as permanent tetrads.[5]

Habitat and distribution

It grows on sandy soil.[4] It has been observed growing at elevations of 1200 to 1500 meters.[3]

Uses

A paste of the roots is used in traditional medicine in Zimbabwe to treat Sexually transmitted infections and as a snake repellant.[6] Bioactive molecules extracted from the bark of the root are reported to have hypoglycemic activity in diabetic mice.[7]

The pulp of the ripe fruit is edible, with a sweet and pleasant taste. It is sought after for eating out of hand and also pressing for juice.[8]

References
  1. Govaerts, R. et. al. (2018) Plants of the world online: Annona stenophylla. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  2. Stearn, William (2004). Botanical Latin. Portland, Ore. Newton Abbot: Timber Press David & Charles. ISBN 9780881926279.
  3. Engler, Adolf; Diels, Ludwig (1901). Engler, Adolf (ed.). Monographieen Afrikanischer Pflanzen-Familien und -Gattungen (in German and Latin). Leipzig: Verlag Von Wilhelm Engelmann. p. 78.
  4. Robson, Norman (1960). "Annonaceae". Flora Zambesiaca. 1. London: Published on behalf of the Govt. of Portugal, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and the United Kingdom, by the Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations.
  5. Walker, James W. (1971). "Pollen Morphology, Phytogeography, and Phylogeny of the Annonaceae". Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University. 202 (202): 1–130. JSTOR 41764703.
  6. Maroyi, Alfred (2013). "Traditional use of medicinal plants in south-central Zimbabwe: review and perspectives". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 9 (1): 31. doi:10.1186/1746-4269-9-31. ISSN 1746-4269. PMC 3653698. PMID 23642285.
  7. Phiri, Jambo; Chagonda, Lameck Shoriwa (2012). "Hypoglycemic Effects ofAnnona stenophyllaandMorus albaPlant Extracts in Alloxan-induced Diabetic Mice". Journal of Biologically Active Products from Nature. 2 (6): 377–381. doi:10.1080/22311866.2012.10719146. ISSN 2231-1866. S2CID 72067844.
  8. Ruffo, Christopher K.; Birnie, Ann; Tengnäs, Bo (2002). Edible wild plants of Tanzania. Regional Land Management Unit/Sida. ISBN 9966-896-62-7.
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