Strychnos is a genus of , belonging to the family Loganiaceae (sometimes Strychnaceae). The genus includes about 200 accepted species of and .[ The genus is widely distributed around the world's tropics and is noted for the presence of poisonous indole alkaloids in the roots, stems and leaves of various species. Among these alkaloids are the well-known and virulent poisons strychnine and curare.
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Etymology
The name strychnos was applied by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History to Solanum nigrum. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek στρύχνον ( strúkhnon) – "acrid", "bitter". The meaning of the word strychnos was not fixed in Ancient Greece, where it could designate a variety of different plants having in common the property of toxicity.[Umberto Quattrocchi, CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names : Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms. Synonyms, and Etymology, vol. 4, CRC Press, 1999, p. 2589.]
Distribution
The genus has a pantropical distribution.
Taxonomy
The genus is divided into 12 sections, though it is conceded that the sections do not reflect evolution of the genus, and all sections except Spinosae are polyphyletic:
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Strychnos (53 species)
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Rouhamon (21 species)
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Breviflorae (32 species)
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Penicillatae (17 species)
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Aculeatae (1 species)
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Spinosae (4 species)
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Brevitubae (18 species)
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Lanigerae (32 species)
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Phaeotrichae (1 species)
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Densiflorae (8 species)
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Dolichantae (9 species)
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Schyphostrychnos (1 species)
Selected species
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Strychnos benthami C.B.Clarke
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Strychnos camptoneura Gilg & Busse
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Strychnos chromatoxylon Leeuwenb.
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Strychnos cocculoides Baker
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Strychnos elaeocarpa Gilg ex Leeuwenb.
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Strychnos icaja Baill.
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Strychnos ignatii P.J. Bergius
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Strychnos madagascariensis Poir.
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Strychnos mellodora S.Moore
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Strychnos millepunctata Leeuwenb.
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Strychnos nux-blanda A.W.Hill
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Strychnos nux-vomica Carl Linnaeus
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Strychnos potatorum L.f.
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Strychnos psilosperma F.Muell.
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Strychnos pungens Hans Solereder
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Strychnos spinosa Lam.
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Strychnos staudtii Gilg
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Strychnos tetragona A.W.Hill
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Strychnos toxifera R.H.Schomb. ex John Lindley
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Strychnos usambarensis Gilg ex Adolf Engler
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The strychnine tree, Strychnos nux-vomica, native to tropical Asia, is the source of the poison strychnine.
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Strychnos tonga, native to Tonga, is a synonym of Strychnos spinosa.
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Strychnos ignatii ("St. Ignatius bean"), is a closely related Asian shrub/tree.
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The species Strychnos toxifera is a principal plant source of the arrow poison curare.
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Three trees from Southern Africa, commonly known as "", are drought-tolerant and produce popular edible fruits: the corky-barked monkey orange or suurklapper, Strychnos cocculoides; the Natal orange or green or spiny monkey orange, Strychnos spinosa; and the black or spiny-leaved monkey orange Strychnos pungens.
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The ripe seeds of Strychnos potatorum,
[ Solar Disinfection Studies][ Strychnos nux-vomica]
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Two very well preserved fossilised Petal with and styles from flowers of a plant that has been named Strychnos electri (the Latin name of amber is electrum), believed to be a vine, were discovered in amber from the Dominican Republic. The amber is from tropical tree Hymenaea protera, formerly abundant but now extinct, which formed part of the forest canopy. The age of the amber is believed to be between 15 and 45 million years, from the mid-Tertiary period. This demonstrates an early date for these plants.
[ New species of ancient tropical flower found in amber from the Dominican Republic, Rachel Sullivan, ABC News Online, 16 February 2016][, Article number 16005]
Gallery
File:Strychnos madagascariensis (4337703118).jpg| Strychnos madagascariensis
File:Strychnos nux-vomica flowers 04.JPG| Strychnos nux-vomica flowers
File:Strychnos potatorum 05.jpg| Strychnos potatorum
File:Strychnos psilosperma foliage and fruit.jpg| Strychnos psilosperma
File:Strychnos pungens, blomme, b, Seringveld.jpg| Strychnos pungens flowers
File:Strychnos pungens, vrug, Little Eden.jpg| Strychnos pungens detached fruit
File:Strychnos spinosa tree.jpg| Strychnos spinosa tree in fruit
File:Strychnos usambarensis00.jpg| Strychnos usambarensis in flower
File:Strychnos usambarensis02.jpg| Strychnos usambarensis in fruit
See also
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List of Southern African indigenous trees and woody lianes
External links
