Biology:Callisia fragrans
| Callisia fragrans | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sarchí Norte, Costa Rica | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Commelinales |
| Family: | Commelinaceae |
| Genus: | Callisia |
| Species: | C. fragrans
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| Binomial name | |
| Callisia fragrans (Lindl.) Woodson
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| Synonyms[1][2] | |
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Callisia fragrans, the false bromeliad, false bromeliad plant or golden tendril, is a flowering plant species of the genus Callisia, in the spiderwort family, Commelinaceae that is native to Mexico.[1]
Description
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A robust, perennial herbaceous plant, the fleshy stem of Callisia fragrans can grow to a height of 1.5 m (4.9 ft). The leaves are 25 cm (9.8 in) long and become burgundy-violet if exposed to more prolonged sunlight (an example of "sun-stressing").
Flowering shoots are bromeliad-like, vigorous, and covered with almost rosette-like leaves. They are sparsely branched. Long, fairly slender, distichous stolons emerge from the lower nodes. The leaves of flowering shoots are up to 30 centimeters long and 7 centimeters wide. They are bright light green, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, pointed, almost stem-clasping, and usually glabrous.
Inflorescence
The almost sessile, small white flowers are fragrant, which occur from late winter to spring.[3] The spreading inflorescence consists of terminal panicles with crowded branches. The sessile, paired whorls are borne on papery bracts up to 2 centimeters long. heir bristly sepals are 3.5 to 5 millimeters long and 1.5 to 2 millimeters wide.
The lanceolate to ovate, white petals have no flat blade. They are 5 to 6 millimeters long and 2.5 to 3.5 millimeters wide. The six long, protruding, white stamens are more conspicuous than the petals. Their connectives are membranous. The stigma is brush-shaped.[4][5]
Range and cultivation
Callisia fragrans'is endemic to Mexico (from Tamaulipas to Yucatán), and naturalized in the West Indies, scattered locations in the United States, and a few other places.[2][6] It has been cultivated in many countries as an indoor ornamental since the early 1900s.[7] However, it can be also found growing outdoors in warmer climates in moist, fertile soil. The herb likes partially shaded areas.
Medicinal properties
It has a rich traditional reputation in Mexico as an antiviral and antimicrobial plant. In Eastern Europe, its leaves are used for the treatment of various skin diseases, burns and joint disorders.[7] An ethanol leaf extract (tincture) has been shown to effectively inhibit the infection of Vero cells by HSV-1, HSV-2 and an ACV-resistant strain of the latter, in vitro. However, the ethanol extract, as opposed to an aquatic extract, was ineffective against VZV.[7]
Though the ethanol leaf extract had a lower selectivity index (toxicity vs. effectiveness) than ACV, it was able to inhibit the HSV-2 mutant, and may be less toxic than ACV. Direct interaction with the viruses, and the blocking of their access to l host cells, seems to be involved.[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Plants database". United States Department of Agriculture. https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=CAFR6.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ↑ Callisia fragrans (Lindl.) Woodson by PlantNET. Retrieved 11 May, 2025.
- ↑ Klaus Kubitzki; H. Huber; P.J. Rudall; P.S. Stevens (1998). Flowering Plants. Monocotyledons: Alismatanae and Commelinanae (except Gramineae). Springer. p. 89. ISBN 3-540-64061-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=bNQDsSmx2roC&q=Callisia+fragrans&pg=PA115.
- ↑ "POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL WEEDS IN AUSTRALIA". NATIONAL WEEDS PROGRAM. Queensland Department of Natural Resources. http://www.weeds.gov.au/publications/books/pubs/potential.pdf.
- ↑ "Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Plant Growth Facilities". University of Connecticut. http://titanarum.uconn.edu/198500190.html.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Yarmolinsky, Ludmila; Zaccai, Michele; Ben-Shabat, Shimon; Huleihel, Mahmoud (4 June 2010). "Anti-Herpetic Activity of Callissia fragrans and Simmondsia chinensis Leaf Extracts In Vitro". The Open Virology Journal 4 (1): 57–62. doi:10.2174/1874357901004010057. PMID 20700398.
External links
Data related to Callisia fragrans at Wikispecies
Wikidata ☰ Q9184292 entry
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