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Useful Tropical Plants

Heliotropium supinum

L.

Boraginaceae

+ Synonyms

Heliotropium ambiguum DC.

Heliotropium capense Lehm.

Heliotropium heliotropioides Forssk.

Heliotropium malabaricum Retz.

Common Name:

Heliotropium supinum
Flowers
Photograph by: Eitan f
Creative Commons License
Heliotropium supinum Heliotropium supinum

General Information

Heliotropium supinum is a prostrate or decumbent, annual plant, usually with 4 main stems rising in a cross; the stems are up to 35cm long[
308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine.

Known Hazards

No specific mention of toxicity has been seen for this species, but many members of this plant family (Boraginaceae) are known to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids. These alkaloids have a cumulative effect upon the body and, unless concentrations in a plant are high, occasional use is generally completely safe. They are derived from amino acids including ornithine. Many pyrrolizidine alkaloids have pronounced hepatic toxicity, but the lungs and other organs may be affected as well. Mutagenic and carcinogenic activities of pyrrolizidine alkaloids have also been reported[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Botanical References

308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.

Range

Southern Europe; drier areas of Africa; eastern Mediterranean; E. Asia - Pakistan, India.

Habitat

On heavy black or brown soils in dried-up water holes and pools, at elevations from 250 - 1,350 metres[
308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
].

Properties

Medicinal Rating *  *
HabitAnnual
Height0.25 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The pulped plant is mixed with water and applied to tumours[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

The pyrrolizidine alkaloids heliotrine and lasiocarpine have been isolated, and extracts have been tested as a control agent for Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a chickpea disease, with limited success[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-03. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Heliotropium%20supinum>

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