Common Name:

General Information

Dioclea mollicoma is a climbing plant with twining, woody stems[]
The plant is sometimes cultivated as a source of rotenone[].

Known Hazards

The plant contains rotenone[]. Rotenone is classified by the World Health Organization as moderately hazardous. It is mildly toxic to humans and other mammals, but extremely toxic to many insects (hence its use as an insecticide) and aquatic life, including fish. This higher toxicity in fish and insects is because the lipophilic rotenone is easily taken up through the gills or trachea, but not as easily through the skin or the gastrointestinal tract. The lowest lethal dose for a child is 143 mg/kg, but human deaths from rotenone poisoning are rare because its irritating action causes vomiting. Deliberate ingestion of rotenone, however, can be fatal.
The compound decomposes when exposed to sunlight and usually has an activity of six days in the environment.

Botanical References

Range

S. America - northern Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia; Caribbean

Habitat

Rain forest, in areas not subject to inundation.

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Climber
Height	0.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

The seedpods are 9 - 13cm long and 4 - 6cm wide, containing 1 - 4 rounded seeds 2 - 3cm in diameter[].

Medicinal

The seed of this species (and many other members of the genus) contain lectins that have a range of actions within the body that are of interest to the pharmaceutical industry. Many have the potential as the basis of new drugs to treat a range of diseases including cancer.

Other Uses

The plant contains rotenone, which can be used as an insecticide[]. Rotenone is widely used as an insecticide, and is effective against a range of horticultural pests, such as aphids and caterpillars, and also against external body parasites like ticks, lice, fleas and flies. It is reported to be ineffective against bedbugs, cockroaches, scale insects and red spiders.[, , ]. The rotenone can be found in various parts of the plant, but is generally most abundant in the bark, especially of the roots. The bark can be dried and powdered for use as an insecticidal dust[].

Propagation

The seed has a very tough seedcoat and a firm flesh. Many species in the genus grow near rivers or the sea and their seeds can be carried for many months over long distances in the water, whilst retaining viability. It is believed that the seed of some species can retain viability for over 100 years in the soil so long as the seedcoat is not damaged. In order to get the seeds to germinate within one's own lifetime, it is generally necessary to damage the seedcoat without damaging the flesh inside. This can be done quite easily by either cutting a notch into the seedcoat, or abrading it with sandpaper. Once this is done, soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and it should germinate quite quickly[].

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: subtract 1 from 12