Macropsychanthus megacarpus

Macropsychanthus megacarpus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Macropsychanthus
Species:
M. megacarpus
Binomial name
Macropsychanthus megacarpus
(Rolfe) L.P.Queiroz & Snak
Synonyms[1]
  • Dioclea densiflora Huber
  • Dioclea megacarpa Rolfe
  • Dioclea reflexa var. grandiflora Benth.
  • Macropsychanthus densiflorus (Huber) L.P.Queiroz & Snak

Macropsychanthus megacarpus (syn. Dioclea megacarpa) is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to Central America, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, northern Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Windward Islands.[1] A climber, it is typically found in wet tropical rainforests.[1][2] Its seeds contain large amounts of the non-proteinogenic amino acid L-canavanine,[2] which replaces the essential arginine producing abnormal proteins and enzymes and resulting in severe malnutrition to insect pests and other herbivores.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Macropsychanthus megacarpus (Rolfe) L.P.Queiroz & Snak". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b Rosenthal, Gerald A.; Janzen, Daniel H.; Dahlman, D. L. (1977). "Degradation and Detoxification of Canavanine by a Specialized Seed Predator". Science. 196 (4290): 658–660. doi:10.1126/science.854740. PMID 854740.
  3. ^ Lisa Silcock, ed. (1992). The Rainforests - A Celebration. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. p. 68. ISBN 0-8118-0155-1.


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