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Woodland Aspilia

Aspilia mossambicensis (Oliv.) Wild

Derivation of specific name

provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
mossambicensis: of Mozambique
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Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
bibliographic citation
Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Aspilia mossambicensis (Oliv.) Wild Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=160430
author
Mark Hyde
author
Bart Wursten
author
Petra Ballings
original
visit source
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Flora of Zimbabwe

Description

provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Shrubby perennial with rather stiff branches, growing up to 1.5 m tall. Leaves narrowly ovate or elliptic, up to 13 cm long, roughly hairy above, densely hairy but softer below, 3-veined from the base, veins impressed above; margin finely toothed to almost entire. Capitula in lax terminal heads, golden yellow to orange. Ray-florets c. 10-12, 7-18 mm long with 3 small teeth at the apex.
license
cc-by-nc
copyright
Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
bibliographic citation
Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Aspilia mossambicensis (Oliv.) Wild Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=160430
author
Mark Hyde
author
Bart Wursten
author
Petra Ballings
original
visit source
partner site
Flora of Zimbabwe

Frequency

provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Common
license
cc-by-nc
copyright
Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
bibliographic citation
Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Aspilia mossambicensis (Oliv.) Wild Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=160430
author
Mark Hyde
author
Bart Wursten
author
Petra Ballings
original
visit source
partner site
Flora of Zimbabwe

Worldwide distribution

provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
DRC, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho and Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
license
cc-by-nc
copyright
Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
bibliographic citation
Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Aspilia mossambicensis (Oliv.) Wild Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=160430
author
Mark Hyde
author
Bart Wursten
author
Petra Ballings
original
visit source
partner site
Flora of Zimbabwe

Aspilia mossambicensis

provided by wikipedia EN

Aspilia mossambicensis, also known as wild sunflower, is a medicinally useful herbaceous plant of the family Compositae (Asteraceae). It is widespread with an anthropogenic distribution in central and Eastern tropical Africa from Ethiopia, through East Africa, the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa.

Herb or shrub 0.5–1 m or straggling bush to 2.5 m high; branches scabrid. Leaves sessile to shortly petiolate, ovate or elliptic, 2–12´1–3 cm, base cuneate, margins entire or serrate, apex acute or attenuate, scabrid on both surfaces, somewhat 3‑nerved from base; petiole up to 1 cm long. Capitula in loose paniculate corymbs, on stalks to 7 cm long; involucre 4–7 mm high; outer phyllaries yellowish near base, green near apex, hispid‑pubescent; paleae 5–7 mm long, keeled with a dark midrib. Ray florets 8–13, bright yellow, rays 6–20 mm long, glabrous or pubescent above; disk florets yellow, 5–6.5 mm long, often with dark stripes along the tube. Achenes brown, obovoid, 4–5 mm long, pilose; pappus of several connate scales to 0.4 mm long and 1–2 barbellate aristae 1–3 mm long.

— Flora Somalia, (2000) - H. Beentje

[1]

A. mossambicensis is used by herbalists and local people to treat such ailments and conditions as malaria, bacterial infection and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It is also used to reduce menstrual cramps as well as a uterotonic able to induce uterine contraction and labour in confinements. This species is used together with the Neem tree to control the breeding cycles of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Drugs extracted from the two species inhibit early maturing and reproduction of the fish, countering problems raised by having populations of diverse ages in commercial breeding ponds. [2]

Phytochemical and anti-microbial properties

Two powerful stimulators of uterine contraction, the diterpenes kaurenoic and grandiflorenic acids, were found in the leaves of Aspilia mossambicensis. This lends credence to the idea that wild chimpanzees consume leaves of Aspilia species because of their pharmacological properties and could shed light on female chimpanzees' consuming such leaves more frequently than do males. Substantial amounts of thiarubrines, antifungal and nematocidal dithianes, were found in roots of plants growing throughout chimpanzee habitats. [3]

References

  1. ^ "ASPILIA mossambicensis (Oliv.) Wild [family COMPOSITAE]".
  2. ^ Kapinga, Imani B.; Limbu, Samwel M.; Madalla, Nazael A.; Kimaro, Wahabu H.; Tamatamah, Rashid A. (2018). "Aspilia mossambicensis and Azadirachta indica medicinal leaf powders modulate physiological parameters of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)". International Journal of Veterinary Science and Medicine. 6 (1): 31–38. doi:10.1016/j.ijvsm.2018.03.003. PMC 6149076. PMID 30255075.
  3. ^ Page, J. E.; Balza, F.; Nishida, T.; Towers, G. H. (1992). "Biologically active diterpenes from Aspilia mossambicensis, a chimpanzee medicinal plant". Phytochemistry. 31 (10): 3437–9. doi:10.1016/0031-9422(92)83702-z. PMID 1368857.
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Wikipedia authors and editors
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Aspilia mossambicensis: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

Aspilia mossambicensis, also known as wild sunflower, is a medicinally useful herbaceous plant of the family Compositae (Asteraceae). It is widespread with an anthropogenic distribution in central and Eastern tropical Africa from Ethiopia, through East Africa, the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa.

Herb or shrub 0.5–1 m or straggling bush to 2.5 m high; branches scabrid. Leaves sessile to shortly petiolate, ovate or elliptic, 2–12´1–3 cm, base cuneate, margins entire or serrate, apex acute or attenuate, scabrid on both surfaces, somewhat 3‑nerved from base; petiole up to 1 cm long. Capitula in loose paniculate corymbs, on stalks to 7 cm long; involucre 4–7 mm high; outer phyllaries yellowish near base, green near apex, hispid‑pubescent; paleae 5–7 mm long, keeled with a dark midrib. Ray florets 8–13, bright yellow, rays 6–20 mm long, glabrous or pubescent above; disk florets yellow, 5–6.5 mm long, often with dark stripes along the tube. Achenes brown, obovoid, 4–5 mm long, pilose; pappus of several connate scales to 0.4 mm long and 1–2 barbellate aristae 1–3 mm long.

— Flora Somalia, (2000) - H. Beentje

A. mossambicensis is used by herbalists and local people to treat such ailments and conditions as malaria, bacterial infection and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It is also used to reduce menstrual cramps as well as a uterotonic able to induce uterine contraction and labour in confinements. This species is used together with the Neem tree to control the breeding cycles of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Drugs extracted from the two species inhibit early maturing and reproduction of the fish, countering problems raised by having populations of diverse ages in commercial breeding ponds.

license
cc-by-sa-3.0
copyright
Wikipedia authors and editors
original
visit source
partner site
wikipedia EN