Misplaced Pages

Parmentiera aculeata

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Species of plant

Parmentiera aculeata
Fruit-bearing Parmentiera aculeata tree
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Bignoniaceae
Genus: Parmentiera
Species: P. aculeata
Binomial name
Parmentiera aculeata
(Kunth) Seem. ( 1854)
Synonyms

List
    • Crescentia aculeata Kunth
    • Crescentia edulis Desv.
    • Crescentia edulis Moc. ex DC.
    • Crescentia edulis Sessé ex Moc.
    • Crescentia musaecarpa Zaldivar
    • Crescentia musaecarpa Zaldivar ex C.Heller
    • Crescentia musaecarpa Zaldivar ex F.Heller
    • Crescentia musicarpa Zaldivar
    • Crescentia musicarpa Zaldivar ex C.Heller
    • Parmentiera aculeata (Kunth) L.O.Williams
    • Parmentiera adulis
    • Parmentiera edulis DC.
    • Parmentiera foliolosa Miers
    • Parmentiera lanceolata Miers

Parmentiera aculeata (synonym Parmentiera edulis), commonly known as cow okra, cuajilote, guajilote, huachilote, or pepino kat, is a species of flowering tree in the family Bignoniaceae. It is native to Mexico and Central America and is known primarily for its edible fruit and medicinal properties.

Etymology

The specific epithet (aculeata) is derived from Latin aculeatus, which means "stinger", and refers to the thorns that are present on the nodes of young branches. The genus Parmentiera is named after French pharmacist and agronomist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier.

Distribution

Parmentiera aculeata is native to central Mexico south to Nicaragua. It has been introduced to southern Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean, and is also cultivated in the United States, East Africa, Maritime Southeast Asia, and Australia. It has become an invasive species in northern Queensland.

It usually grows in dry to moist thickets and lowland forests, often near waterbodies, typically at elevations around 1,200 meters (3,900 feet), and prefers well-drained, sunny areas with medium to high rainfall. It is hardy to USDA zones 10–12 and is not frost tolerant.

Description

Foliage
Flowers at various stages
Fruit

P. aculeata is a small to medium-sized tree, typically growing to heights of around 10 meters (33 feet). It is evergreen to semi-deciduous. The trunk is erect and typically measures around 30 centimeters (12 inches) in diameter. The bark is light brown to gray in color and is slightly fissured. The young branches are terete and glabrous to slightly puberulous, and the nodes contain a thick thorn that subtends each leaf. The leaves are opposite to subopposite, sometimes alternate, and are typically 3-foliate but may occasionally be 4-foliate. The petioles measure 1.3–3.5 centimeters (0.51–1.38 inches) in length, are narrowly winged, and have a strong groove on top. The leaflets are entire and elliptic to obovate in shape, while the margins may be acute or obtuse, and the bases are cuneate to attenuate. Terminal leaflets are 1.5–6 centimeters (0.59–2.36 inches) in length and 0.6–3 centimeters (0.24–1.18 inches) in width while lateral leaflets are 1.5–5 centimeters (0.59–1.97 inches) in length and 0.6–2.5 centimeters (0.24–0.98 inches) in width. The petiolules measure up to 1 centimeter (0.39 inches) in length.

The inflorescences consist of few-flowered fascicles or single flowers, and are terminal or axillary near the branch tips, though may be borne of the nodes in older branches. The flowers are tubular, typically contain 5 sepals, 4 or 5 petals, and 5 anthers, and may be green, white, or purple in color. They are acute to short acuminate in their budding stage and measure 2.5–4 centimeters (0.98–1.57 inches) in length. The calyces are spathaceous. The corollas are campanulate, 5–7 centimeters (2.0–2.8 inches) in length, and 2–2.5 centimeters (0.79–0.98 inches) in width. The stamens are subexserted. The anther thecae are weakly divergent, thick, and measure 5–6 millimeters (0.20–0.24 inches) in length. The ovary is oblong to linear and lepidote, while the ovules are multiseriate.

The fruit is a large, fleshy, fibrous berry of yellow-green color, and grows directly from the trunk and branches of the tree. It is somewhat cylindrical in shape, thickly ribbed, tapered, and slightly curved. It measures 8–18 centimeters (3.1–7.1 inches) in length and 3–5 centimeters (1.2–2.0 inches) in diameter, and contains numerous flat, somewhat round seeds that measure approximately 3 millimeters (0.12 inches) in diameter.

P. aculeata seeds typically germinate within 1–5 weeks of planting. The tree begins flowering around 3–5 years of age.

Chemistry

The pulp of the ripe fruit contains phenolic compounds and exhibits antioxidant and antibacterial effects. The juice of the fruit was found to encourage Lactobacillus growth.

An extract from the fruit was found to induce diuretic and antiurolithiatic effects in Wistar rats.

Hexane extract from the fruit was found to induce cytotoxic and apoptotic effects against breast cancer cell line MDA-MB231. MTT assays conducted three days after treatment showed an IC50 value of 94.63 + 1.63 μg/ml.

A guaianolide, lactucin-8-0-methylacrylate, was isolated from the dried fruits of P. aculeata in 2000. After being administered via intraperitoneal injection to diabetic mice in amounts of 300 mg/kg, blood glucose levels decreased by 43.75%, and by 29.61% in non-diabetic mice.

P. aculeata fruits contain high amounts of lignocellulosic content. Unripe fruits contain cellulose content of 42.17% and lignin content of 35.26%, while ripe fruits contain cellulose content of 32.76% and lignin content of 40.79%.

Uses

P. aculeata is planted as an ornamental, shade tree and live fence throughout its native range. Its fruits are edible and are eaten either raw or cooked, and are sometimes pickled or made into preserves. Its flavor is reportedly similar to sugarcane. They are also used as cattle fodder in southern Mexico.

The plant is commonly used in traditional medicine. The fruit is used to treat common colds, diabetes, asthma, headaches, diarrhea, and gallstones, while the roots are used as a diuretic.

References

  1. "Parmentiera aculeata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  2. "Parmentiera aculeata (Kunth) L.O.Williams". GBIF. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  3. ^ Puccio, Pietro; Beltramini, Mario (9 June 2015). "Parmentiera aculeata". Monaco Nature Encyclopedia. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  4. Areces-Berazain, F. (7 January 2022). "Parmentiera aculeata (cucumber tree)". CABI Digital Library. doi:10.1079/cabicompendium.86635881. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  5. "Parmentiera aculeata". Useful Tropical Plants. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Guajilote, Cuachilote (Parmentiera edulis)". Desert-Tropicals. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  7. ^ "Parmentiera aculeata (Kunth) Seem". World Flora Online. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  8. ^ Santiago Ruiz, Cristina; Nuricumbo Lievano, Viviana Noemi; Chapa Barrios, Mariana Gabriela; Vela Gutiérrez, Gilber; Velázquez López, Arturo Alberto (June 2021). "Antimicrobial Activity, Phenolic and Antioxidant Content of Extracts from Cuajilote (Parmentiera aculeata Kunth) Fruits at Different Degrees of Ripening". Journal of the Mexican Chemical Society. 65 (2): 161–169. doi:10.29356/jmcs.v65i2.1270. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  9. Lara-Cervantes, Teresa de Jesús; Carrillo-Inungaray, María Luisa; Balderas-Hernández, Victor Emmanuel; Aguilar-Zárate, Pedro; Veana, Fabiola (29 October 2022). "Valorization of Parmentiera aculeata juice in growth of probiotics in submerged culture and their postbiotic production: a first approach to healthy foods". Archives of Microbiology. 204 (11): 679. Bibcode:2022ArMic.204..679L. doi:10.1007/s00203-022-03295-w. PMID 36308572. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  10. Morales-Sánchez, Viridiana; Osuna-Fernández, Helia Reyna; Brechú-Franco, Alicia; Laguna-Hernández, Guillermo; Vargas-Solís, Rosario (30 May 2015). "Assessment of the antiurolithiatic effect of Parmentiera aculeata fruit on Wistar rat". Botanical Sciences (in Spanish). 93 (2): 293–298. doi:10.17129/botsci.99. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  11. Estanislao Gómeza, Cynthia Carolina; Ordaz Pichardoa, Cynthia; San Martín Martínezb, Eduardo; Pérez Hernández, Nury; Pérez Ishiwara, Guillermo; Gómez García, María del Consuelo. "Cytotoxic effect and apoptotic activity of Parmentiera edulis DC. hexane extract on the breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231". Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  12. Pérez-Gutiérrez, R. M.; Pérez-González, C.; Zavala-Sánchez, M. A.; Pérez-Gutiérrez, S. (1998). "[Hypoglycemic activity of Bouvardia terniflora, Brickellia veronicaefolia, and Parmentiera edulis]". Salud Publica de Mexico. 40 (4): 354–358. doi:10.1590/S0036-36341998000400008. PMID 9774905. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  13. Vicente-Flores, Macario; Güemes-Vera, Norma; Chanona-Pérez, José Jorge; Perea-Flores, María de Jesús; Arzate-Vázquez, Israel; Quintero-Lira, Aurora; Sánchez-Fuentes, Cinthia Erika (2021). "doi: 10.1002/jemt.23559. Epub 2020 Sep 9. Study of cellular architecture and micromechanical properties of cuajilote fruits (Parmentiera edulis D.C.) using different microscopy techniques". Microscopy Research and Technique. 84 (1): 12–27. doi:10.1002/jemt.23559. PMID 32905658. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
Taxon identifiers
Parmentiera aculeata
Crescentia aculeata
Categories: