2956

12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3

Uvaria L.

Sp. pl. 1: 536 (1753); Gen. pl. ed. 5: 240 (1754).

ANNONACEAE

x = unknown; Uvaria cordata: 2n = 22

Uvaria comprises about 100 species and occurs in the tropics of Africa, Asia and Australia, and in New Caledonia. A few dozens of species are found in tropical Asia.

Uvaria is commonly used in medicine in many parts of its distribution area, including tropical Asia, where usually a decoction of the roots and leaves is applied, especially to treat stomach and intestinal complaints, fever, wounds and skin diseases, and after childbirth. Several Uvaria species are used in traditional medicine in Africa, the most important being Uvaria chamae P. Beauv. and Uvaria afzelii Scott-Elliot, which are used to treat various complaints, often as a febrifuge and to treat wounds and swellings.
The fruits of many species are edible, and the stems are used as a substitute for rattan.

Alkaloids are present in the bark and, to a lesser extent, in the leaves of Uvaria rufa. Extracts of Uvaria cordata stem bark and leaves showed distinct antibacterial activity but no antifungal properties.
Several cyclohexene oxides have been isolated from Uvaria purpurea stems and leaves. One of these, zeylenone, was found to be a highly active nucleoside transport inhibitor. Uvarigranols, which are polyoxygenated cyclohexenes, have also been isolated from Uvaria purpurea. The acetogenin uvarigrin isolated from its roots showed cytotoxicity against human tumour cell lines. Other acetogenins with in-vitro activity against human leukaemia and colon adenocarcinoma cell lines have been isolated from the Vietnamese Uvaria tonkinensis Finet & Gagnep. A stem extract of the African Uvaria lucida Benth. showed strong mitogenic activity in isolated human and mouse T cells, whereas benzylisoquinoline alkaloids isolated from leaves of the African Uvaria chamae exhibited cytotoxic activity against L929 transformed cells. Extracts of Uvaria chamae and Uvaria klaineana Engl. & Diels, another African species, showed significant antiplasmodial activity.
Hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of root bark of Uvaria narum (Dunal) Wallich and Uvaria hookeri King from India showed substantial antibacterial, antifungal and anthelmintic activities, mainly attributable to acetogenins.

Lianas, straggling or erect shrubs to small trees; branches often converted into leafy tendrils, usually stellately pubescent. Leaves distichously alternate, simple and entire, often stellately pubescent, pinnately veined, shortly petiolate; stipules absent. Inflorescence a terminal, extra-axillary or leaf-opposed, few-flowered cyme or flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual, 3-merous; pedicel with 2 bracteoles; calyx lobed, irregularly splitting or entire; petals 6(—8), free or shortly connate at base, spreading or recurved; stamens numerous, outer ones sometimes sterile, with connective concealing the anther cells; carpels numerous, free, style absent, stigma horseshoe-shaped. Fruit consisting of several to many stalked monocarps, fleshy, 1—many-seeded. Seeds sometimes with a small aril.
Uvaria belongs to the tribe Uvarieae, as does e.g. Cyathostemma, which differs in its small flowers having petals that do not expand. Uvaria is badly in need of revision.

Uvaria most commonly occurs in lowland forest, usually below 1000 m altitude, often in more open localities or edges, also in brushwood or even hedges.

The Uvaria species treated here are all widespread and do not seem to be in immediate danger of genetic erosion, although they may be rare or even absent in many regions or islands within their areas of distribution.

Uvaria species are interesting medicinal plants that deserve more attention in South-East Asia. Important pharmacological properties have been demonstrated, e.g. antimicrobial, anticancer and febrifuge activities, which warrant more research.

[120]Burkill, H.M., 1985—2000. The useful plants of West tropical Africa. 2nd Edition. 5 volumes. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom. Vol. 1 (1985), Families A—D, 960 pp.; Vol. 2 (1994), Families E—I, 636 pp.; Vol. 3 (1995), Families J—L, 857 pp.; Vol. 4 (1997), Families M—R, 969 pp; Vol. 5 (2000), Families S—Z, 686 pp.
[155]Chen, Y. & Yu, D.Q., 1996. Tonkinelin: a novel annonaceous acetogenin from Uvaria tonkinensis. Planta Medica 62(6): 512—514.
[715]Padmaja, V., Thankamany, V. & Hisham, A., 1993. Antibacterial, antifungal and anthelmintic activities of root barks of Uvaria hookeri and Uvaria narum. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 40(3): 181—186.

Max Joseph Herman

Uvaria cordata
Uvaria purpurea
Uvaria rufa

Herman, M.J., 2003. Uvaria L.. In: Lemmens, R.H.M.J. and Bunyapraphatsara, N. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea

The following species in this genus are important in this commodity group and are treated separatedly in this database:
Uvaria cordata
Uvaria purpurea
Uvaria rufa