Uncaria

Short description: Genus of flowering plants

Uncaria

Uncaria gambir
Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Plantae
Clade:  | Tracheophytes
Clade:  | Angiosperms
Clade:  | Eudicots
Clade:  | Asterids
Order:  | Gentianales
Family:  | Rubiaceae
Subfamily:  | Cinchonoideae
Tribe:  | Naucleeae
Genus:  | Uncaria
Schreber
Type species
Uncaria guianensis

(Aublet) J.F. Gmelin

Species

~40 species. See text

Uncaria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It has about 40 species.[1] Their distribution is pantropical, with most species native to tropical Asia, three from Africa and the Mediterranean and two from the neotropics.[2] They are known colloquially as gambier, cat's claw or uña de gato. The latter two names are shared with several other plants. The type species for the genus is Uncaria guianensis.[3]

Indonesian Gambier (U. gambir) is a large tropical vine with leaves typical of the genus, being opposite and about 10 cm (3.9 in) long. The South American U. tomentosa is called Uña de Gato. Uncaria sinensis is common in China .

Uncaria was named in 1789 by Johann von Schreber in his Genera Plantarum edition 8[a] (not to be confused with books of the same title by Linnaeus, Jussieu, and others).[4][5] The genus name is derived from the Latin word uncus, meaning "a hook".[6] It refers to the hooks, formed from reduced branches, that Uncaria vines use to cling to other vegetation.

Uncaria is a member of the tribe Naucleeae, but its position within that tribe remains unresolved.[7]

## Contents

* 1 Description
* 2 Species
* 3 Uses
* 4 Adverse effects
* 5 References
* 6 External links

## Description

Woody lianas; climbing by hooks formed from reduced, modified branches. Stipules entire or bifid. Inflorescences are compact heads at the ends of horizontal, very reduced branches. Corolla lobes without appendages. Seeds with a long wing at each end, the lower wing deeply bifid.[8]

## Species

As of March 2023[update], Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:[9]

* Uncaria acida (W.Hunter) Roxb.
* Uncaria africana G.Don
* Uncaria angolensis (Havil.) Welw. ex Hutch. & Dalziel
* Uncaria attenuata Korth.
* Uncaria barbata Merr.
* Uncaria bernaysii F.Muell.
* Uncaria borneensis Havil.
* Uncaria callophylla Blume ex Korth.
* Uncaria canescens Korth.
* Uncaria cordata (Lour.) Merr.
* Uncaria donisii E.M.A.Petit
* Uncaria elliptica R.Br. ex G.Don
* Uncaria gambir (W.Hunter) Roxb.
* Uncaria guianensis (Aubl.) J.F.Gmel.
* Uncaria hirsuta Havil.
* Uncaria homomalla Miq.
* Uncaria kunstleri King
* Uncaria laevigata Wall. ex G.Don
* Uncaria lancifolia Hutch.
* Uncaria lanosa Wall.
* Uncaria longiflora (Poir.) Merr.
* Uncaria macrophylla Wall.
* Uncaria nervosa Elmer
* Uncaria orientalis Guillaumin
* Uncaria ovata R.Br. ex Hook.f.
* Uncaria perrottetii (A.Rich.) Merr.
* Uncaria rhynchophylla (Miq.) Miq.
* Uncaria rhynchophylloides F.C.How
* Uncaria roxburghiana Korth.
* Uncaria scandens (Sm.) Wall.
* Uncaria schlenckerae S.Moore
* Uncaria sessilifructus Roxb.
* Uncaria sinensis (Oliv.) Havil.
* Uncaria sterrophylla Merr. & L.M.Perry
* Uncaria talbotii Wernham
* Uncaria tomentosa (Willd. ex Schult.) DC.
* Uncaria velutina Havil.

## Uses

Diplomat Edmund Roberts noted that, upon his visit to China in the 1830s, Chinese were using U. gambir for tanning, and noted that the U. gambir made "leather porous and rotten." He also noted that Chinese would chew it with areca nut.[10] The plant extract contains some 150 identified phytochemicals, including catechins, proanthocyanins, and chalcone-flavan-3-ol dimers, called gambiriins.[11][12] Cat's claw (U. tomentosa) and the Chinese Uncaria species are used in traditional medicine, although there is no high-quality clinical evidence they have any medicinal properties.[11]

## Adverse effects

Although cat's claw appears to be safe for human use below 350 milligrams per day over 6 weeks, its adverse effects may include nausea, diarrhea, upset stomach, and an increased risk of bleeding if used with an anticoagulant drug.[11]

## References

1. ↑ Uncaria At: World Checklist of Rubiaceae At: Kew Gardens Website. (see External links below).
2. ↑ David J. Mabberley. 2008. Mabberley's Plant-Book third edition (2008). Cambridge University Press: UK. ISBN 978-0-521-82071-4
3. ↑ Uncaria In: Index Nominum Genericorum. In: Regnum Vegetabile (see External links below).
4. ↑ Uncaria in International Plant Names Index. (see External links below).
5. ↑ Johann Schreber. 1789. Gen. Pl., ed. 8[a]. (Genera Plantarum Eorumque Characteres Naturales Secundum Numerum, Figuram, Situm, & Proportionem Omnium Fructificationis Partium. (Ed. 8[a])). volume 1, page 125. Frankfurt am Main, Germany(see External links below).
6. ↑ Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names volume IV. CRC Press: Boca Raton; New York; Washington, DC;, USA. London, UK. ISBN 978-0-8493-2673-8 (set).
7. ↑ Manns, Ulrika; Bremer, Birgitta (2010). "Towards a better understanding of intertribal relationships and stable tribal delimitations within Cinchonoideae s.s. (Rubiaceae)".". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56 (1): 21–39. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.04.002. PMID 20382247.
8. ↑ Ridsdale, Colin E. (1978). "A revision of Mitragyna and Uncaria (Rubiaceae)".". Blumea 24 (1): 43–100.
9. ↑ "Uncaria Schreb..". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:327895-2.
10. ↑ Roberts, Edmund (1837). Embassy to the Eastern Courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat. New York: Harper & Brothers. p. 138. http://www.wdl.org/en/item/7317/view/1/138/.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Cat's claw". Drugs.com. 13 August 2018. https://www.drugs.com/npp/cat-s-claw.html.
12. ↑ Taniguchi, S.; Kuroda, K.; Doi, K.; Tanabe, M.; Shibata, T.; Yoshida, T.; Hatano, T. (2007). "Revised structures of gambiriins A1, A2, B1, and B2, chalcane-flavan dimers from gambir (Uncaria gambir extract)". Chemical & Pharmaceutical Bulletin 55 (2): 268–72. doi:10.1248/cpb.55.268. PMID 17268100.

## External links

* Germplasm Resources Information Network: Uncaria
* Search Uncaria, Royal Botanic Gardens, KewScience

* v
* t
* e

Non-timber forest products

Animal products|

* Furs
* Honey
* Pine honey
* Wild game

* Berries
* Tree fruit

* Blackberry
* Blueberry
* Bilberry
* Binukaw
* Breadfruit
* Cocoa bean
* Coconut
* Durian
* Gambooge
* Huckleberry
* Jackfruit
* Juniper berry
* Lingonberry
* Raspberry
* Tamarind
* Woodland strawberry

Edible plants / roots|

* Betel
* Fiddlehead ferns
* Mahuwa flowers
* Sago palm
* queen
* Sassafras
* filé powder
* root beer
* Saw palmetto
* Wild ginseng

Mushrooms|

* Bare-toothed russula
* Bay bolete
* Birch bolete
* Cep
* Chanterelle
* Honey mushroom
* Lingzhi
* Matsutake
* Meadow mushroom
* Morel
* Oyster mushroom
* Parasol mushroom
* Red cap
* Saffron milk cap
* Slippery jack
* Truffle
* Yellow knight

* Nuts
* Spices

* Allspice
* Areca nut
* Bay leaf
* Black pepper
* Brazil nut
* Cinnamon
* Clove
* Hazelnut
* Malva nut
* Nutmeg
* Pine nut
* Vanilla

* Oil
* Waxes

* Carnauba
* Chaulmoogra (Hydnocarpus wightiana)
* Cocoa butter
* Eucalyptol
* Eucalyptus
* Japan wax
* Kokum
* Kusum
* Mahuwa
* Nagkesar
* Palm (kernel)
* Pongamia
* Phulwara
* Pilu
* Sal-seed (Shorea robusta)
* Sandalwood
* Shea butter
* Tea-seed
* Tea-tree
* Vateria indica

Resins|

* Benzoin
* Birch tar
* Camphor
* Creosote
* Frankincense
* Gamboge
* Kauri
* Lacquer
* Mastic
* Myrrh
* Pine tar
* Pitch
* Rosin
* Turpentine
* Varnish

Sap / Gum / etc.|

* Birch syrup
* Chicle
* chewing gum
* Coconut sugar
* Date sugar
* Fruit syrup
* Gum arabic
* Gutta-percha
* Kino
* Latex
* Maple sugar
* Maple syrup
* Palm sugar
* Palm wine
* akpeteshie
* ogogoro
* Rubber
* Spruce gum

Other|

* Amadou
* Bamboo
* edible
* musical instruments
* textiles
* Birch bark
* Birch beer
* Cork
* Ferns
* Forage
* Gambier
* Moss
* Natural dyes
* henna
* Peat
* Quinine
* Rattan
* Shellac
* Tanbark
* tannin
* Thatching
* Tendu leaves
* Vegetable ivory
* Willow bark

Related|

* Dehesa (Iberian agroforestry)
* Forest farming / gardening
* Honey hunting
* Indian forest produce
* Mushroom hunting
* Naval stores
* Permaforestry
* Resin extraction
* Rubber tapping
* Wildcrafting

* Category
* Commons

Wikidata ☰ Q1989596 entry

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncaria. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Biology:Uncaria&oldid=423613"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template