Mostuea brunonis
Didr.
Gelsemiaceae
Leptocladus thomsonii Oliv.
Mostuea angustifolia Wernham
Mostuea buchholzii Engl.
Mostuea camporum Gilg
Mostuea densiflora Gilg
Mostuea dinklagei Gilg
Mostuea duchesnei De Wild.
Mostuea erythrophylla Gilg
Mostuea fuchsiaefolia Baker
Mostuea gilletii De Wild.
Mostuea gossweileri Cavaco
Mostuea gracilipes Mildbr.
Mostuea grandiflora Gilg ex Engl.
Mostuea longipetiolata Gilg
Mostuea lujae De Wild. & T.Durand
Mostuea lundensis Cavaco
Mostuea madagascarica Baill.
Mostuea megaphylla R.D.Good
Mostuea orientalis Baker
Mostuea penduliflora Gilg
Mostuea pervilleana Baill.
Mostuea rubrinervis Engl.
Mostuea schumanniana Gilg
Mostuea thomsonii (Oliv.) Benth.
Mostuea ulugurensis Gilg
Mostuea vankerckhoveni De Wild.
Mostuea vankerkhovenii De Wild.
Mostuea walleri Baker
Mostuea zenkeri Gilg
Common Name:
General Information
Mostuea brunonis is an erect, slender, usually much branched shrub or undershrub up to 1.5 metres tall, or occasionally developing a more climbing habit with stems up to 7 metres long[
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.
,
544- Title
- Cataloge of African Plants Collected by Dr. Friedrich Welwitsch in 1853 - 1861
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hiern. W.P.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Longmans & Co.; London.
- Year
- 1898
- ISBN
-
- Description
- In 6 volumes, it gives botanical descriptions and some uses of the plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local medicinal use.
Known Hazards
The root bark is used as ingredient of arrow poison[
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.
,
515- Title
- Flora of Tropical Africa Vol 1 - 8
- Publication
-
- Author
- Var
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- L.Reeve & Co.; Ashford, Kent.
- Year
- 1868 - 1917
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Very little information on habitat, range and uses, but gives good descriptions of the plants. It can be downloaded from the internet.
Range
Tropical Africa - Ghana to Kenya, south to Angola, Mozambique and Madagascar.
Habitat
Gallery or rainforest, also in secondary forest, often in wet places or along river banks, at elevations from sea-level up to 2,000 metres[
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.
,
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.
,
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
Properties
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Shrub |
| Height | 1.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Not known
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
A root decoction or infusion is taken to treat colds, hypermenorrhoea, kidney troubles and as an aphrodisiac. The root is chewed to treat stomach-ache. A root decoction or grated fresh root is taken as a vermifuge[
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.
].
A bath is taken with a root decoction to treat yellow fever[
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 grated root is also used to treat snakebites and it is applied as a dressing to treat wounds[
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.
].
Young leaves are taken infood to treat stomach complaints and a twig decoction is taken to treat distended stomach in children[
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.
]. An infusion of the twigs and leaves is taken to treat general pain, including intestinal pain and colitis, and dysentery[
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.
].
Mostuea brunonis contains several indole alkaloids[
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 stems and leaves contain gelsemicine, mostueine and some related compounds[
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 roots contain sempervirin and the quinoline-based alkaloid camptothecin. Camptothecin and its derivatives are candidate chemotherapy drugs to treat breast and colon cancers, malignant melanoma, small-cell lung cancer and leukaemia. Its use in agricultural fungicides has been patented in China[
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.
].
Whole plant extracts of Mostuea brunonis contain 20-O-beta-glucopyranosyl camptothecin and some related compounds, as well as the moderately cytotoxic alkaloids deoxypumiloside and strictosamide. 20-O-beta-glucopyranosyl camptothecin is more soluble in alcohol and water than camptothecin, and may have value as a drug that could be more readily formulated than camptothecin[
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 -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
