| Petiveria alliacea | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Phytolaccaceae |
| Genus: | Petiveria |
| Species: | P. alliacea |
| Binomial name | |
| Petiveria alliacea L.[1] |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Mapa graveolens |
|
Petiveria alliacea is a species of flowering plant in the pokeweed family, Phytolaccaceae, that is native to Florida and the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States,[2] Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and tropical South America.[1] Introduced populations occur in Benin and Nigeria.[3] It is a deeply rooted herbaceous perennial shrub growing up to 1 m (3.3 ft) in height and has small greenish piccate flowers. The roots and leaves have a strong acrid, garlic-like odour which taints the milk and meat of animals that graze on it.
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It is known by a wide number of common names including: guinea henweed, anamu in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Brazil (where it is also known as tipi), apacin in Guatemala, mucura in Peru, and guine in many other parts of Latin America, feuilles ave, herbe aux poules, petevere a odeur ail, and, in Trinidad, as mapurite (pronounced Ma-po-reete) and gully root[4], and many others.
P. alliacea is used as a bat and insect repellent.
Petiveria alliacea has been found to contain a large number of biologically active chemicals including benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, benzyl-2-hydroxyethyl-trisulphide, coumarin, isoarborinol, isoarborinol acetate, isoarborinol cinnamate, isothiocyanates, polyphenols, senfol, tannins, and trithiolaniacine.[5]
The plant's roots have also been shown to contain cysteine sulfoxide derivatives that are analogous to but different from those found in such plants as garlic and onion. For example, P. alliacea contains S-phenylmethyl-L-cysteine sulfoxides (petiveriins A and B)[6] and S-(2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteines (6-hydroxyethiins A and B). These compounds serve as the precursors of several thiosulfinates such as S-(2-hydroxyethyl) 2-hydroxyethane)thiosulfinate, S-(2-hydroxylethyl) phenylmethanethiosulfinate, S-benzyl 2-hydroxyethane)thiosulfinate and S-benzyl phenylmethanethiosulfinate (petivericin).[7] All four of these thiosulfinates have been found to exhibit antimicrobial activity.[8]
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Petiveria_alliacea Petiveria alliacea] at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Petiveria alliacea at Wikispecies