bio.wikisort.org - Plant

Pergularia daemia, the trellis-vine, is a hispid, perennial vine in the family Asclepiadaceae, with an extensive range in the Old World tropics and subtropics.^{[citation needed]} It has been used traditionally to treat a number of ailments.^{[citation needed]} It is sometimes called atufa.[1]

Pergularia daemia
In Limpopo, South Africa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Apocynaceae
Genus:	Pergularia
Species:	P. daemia
Binomial name
Pergularia daemia (Forssk.) Chiov.
Synonyms
P. daemia (Forssk.) Blatt. & McCann P. extensa (Jacq.) N.E.Br. Asclepias daemia Forssk. Daemia extensa (Jacq.) R.Br. ex Schult.

Range and habitat

It occurs from the Malay Peninsula to Burma, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan through Arabia and Egypt to central and southern Africa.[2] It is found along roadsides, in woodland or along riparian forest fringes.[3]

Description

The opposite^{[citation needed]} and broadly ovate to suborbicular leaves are very variable in size, with petioles of varying length. The leaves are almost glabrous above and velvety below.[2]

In the northern hemisphere the flowers appear from mid to late winter, and these are carried on lateral cymes. The flower corolla forms a greenish-yellow or dull white tube.[2] The fruit mature after some 13 to 14 months^{[citation needed]} when they release ovate seeds covered with velvety hairs.[2]

Phytochemical properties

Terpenoids, flavonoids, sterols and cardenolides are among the chemicals that have been isolated from either the leaves, stems, shoots, roots, seeds or fruit.^{[citation needed]} Traditionally it has been used as an anthelmintic, laxative, antipyretic and expectorant, besides treatment of infantile diarrhoea, malarial intermittent fevers, toothaches and colds.^{[citation needed]} Studies have shown hepatoprotective, antifertility, anti-diabetic, analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties of substances in its aerial parts.^{[citation needed]}

Associated species

The larvae of the African monarch butterfly (Danaus chrysippus aegyptius) feed on this species.

References

External links

• Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). "Pergularia daemia". African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.
• Kyffhäuser.co.nz: Pergularia daemia subsp. garipensis
• Media related to Pergularia daemia at Wikimedia Commons

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