Zornia latifolia

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Zornia latifolia
Zornia latifolia Sm.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Zornia
Species:
Z. latifolia
Binomial name
Zornia latifolia
Synonyms[2]
  • Zornia gracilis
  • Zornia pubescens
  • Zornia surinamensis

Zornia latifolia is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is native to South America.[1] Its distribution may extend into Central and North America.[3] It is also known as a naturalized species in tropical western Africa.[1] The plant is known commonly as maconha brava.[4]

Description[]

This plant is a perennial herb with a branching stem taking a prostrate form on the ground and growing up to about 50 centimeters long. The leaves are bifoliolate, each made up of two leaflets, which are widely lance-shaped and up to 4 centimeters long. At the base is a stipule up to a centimeter in length. The herbage is hairless to lightly hairy. The inflorescence is a spike of up to 35 yellow flowers each about a centimeter long. The flowers open for only 5 to 10 hours. The bractlets are longer than the flowers and may cover them. The fruit is a spiny, hairy legume pod.[5]

Ecology[]

In its native range it grows in savanna habitat with acidic and low-fertility soils. It tolerates drought, but does not tolerate cold or shade.[5] In Africa it grows as a weed in lawns and on roadsides.[3]

The plant is susceptible to plant pathogens such as the fungi , which causes scab disease, and Meliola species, which cause stunting and distortion of the leaves. Insect pests include the red-necked peanutworm moth (Stegasta bosqueella).[5]

Uses[]

Forage[]

This legume is a nutritious and palatable forage for livestock. It can be grown as a companion plant to grasses such as Andropogon gayanus and .[5]

Hallucinogen and adulteration[]

A common component of many synthetic cannabis mixtures producing hallucinogenic effects, such as the street drug, 'Spice', Zornia latifolia may have cannabis-like effects.[6][7] It may be adulterated by a different Fabaceae plant, Stylosanthes guianensis, which is phytochemically different from Zornia latifolia.[6] The flavones genistein and apigenin may explain the cannabis-like effects of Zornia latifolia.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Zornia latifolia". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  2. ^ Zornia latifolia. The Plant List.
  3. ^ a b Zornia latifolia. FAO.
  4. ^ Fattore, L. and W. Fratta. (2011). Beyond THC: the new generation of cannabinoid designer drugs. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 5, 60.
  5. ^ a b c d Zornia latifolia. TropicalForages.
  6. ^ a b c Cornara, L.; Fortuna-Perez, A. P.; Bruni, I.; Salis, A.; Damonte, G.; Borghesi, B.; Clericuzio, M. (2018-09-01). "Zornia latifolia: a smart drug being adulterated by Stylosanthes guianensis". International Journal of Legal Medicine. 132 (5): 1321–1331. doi:10.1007/s00414-018-1774-z. hdl:11449/164509. ISSN 1437-1596. PMID 29362872. S2CID 12630518.
  7. ^ Fattore, Liana; Fratta, Walter (2011). "Beyond THC: The New Generation of Cannabinoid Designer Drugs". Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 5: 60. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00060. ISSN 1662-5153. PMC 3187647. PMID 22007163.

Media related to Zornia latifolia at Wikimedia Commons


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