Species of flowering plant
Chiococca alba is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family (Rubiaceae ) native to Florida and the extreme southern tip of Texas in the United States ,[4] Bermuda ,[3] Mexico , Central America , the Caribbean , the Galápagos , and tropical South America . Common names include David's milkberry , West Indian milkberry , cahinca [5] and West Indian snowberry .[6] The specific epithet , alba , means "white" in Latin and refers to the color of its fruits .[7]
Description
West Indian milkberry is an evergreen [5] woody vine or scrambling shrub that often grows on other vegetation and may reach a height of 6 m (20 ft).[6] The opposite , simple leaves are 5–11 cm (2.0–4.3 in) long and may be elliptic to ovate or broadly lanceolate in shape . Yellow, bell-shaped flowers up to 1 cm (0.39 in) in length appear throughout the year[8] on racemes or panicles of six of to eight.[9] The fruit is a white drupe 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) in diameter[8] that generally contains two dark brown seeds .[6]
Taxonomy
Lonicera alba was described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus .[10] It was moved to Chiococca in 1893 by A. S. Hitchcock ,[2] and is considered the type species of that genus.[11] Stewardson Brown described the Bermuda population of the plant as a new species, C. bermudiana , in 1909 due to its lighter green and larger leaves, larger berries, and wider and longer pedicels . Many authorities consider C. bermudiana a synonym of C. alba .[3]
Uses
Chiococca alba is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental for its dark green, evergreen foliage and white drupes . It is used in espalier and grown on trellises .[9] The roots have several uses in herbal medicine , including as a laxative , diuretic , emetic , and antidiarrhoeal .[6] The plant was sold commercially in Europe and the United States for those purposes at one time.[12]
References
^ Roberts, A. (2014). "Chiococca alba " . IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014 : e.T56503531A56503966. doi :10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T56503531A56503966.en . Retrieved 13 November 2022 .
^ a b c "Chiococca alba " . Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service , United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 2010-04-19 .
^ a b c Sarkis, Samia (December 2009). "Recovery plan for eight species of flowering plants, Carex bermudia , Peperomia septentrionalis , Phaseolus lignosus , Erigeron darrellianus , Galium bermudense , Hypericum hypericoides , Psychotria lingustrifolia , in Bermuda" (PDF) . Department of Conservation, Bermuda: 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06.
^ "David's Milkberry, Snowberry, Milkberry, David's Root, Perlilla, Canica, Cahinca, Cainea, Caninara, Aceitillo, Madreselva, Lagrimas de San Pedro, Lagrimas de Maria, Oreja de Raton, Suelda, Consuelda, Bejuco de Berac, Bejuco de Berraco, Xcanchac-che" . Texas A&M University. Retrieved 2009-12-11 .
^ a b "Chiococca alba (L.) A.S. Hitchc" . Native Plant Information Network . Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Retrieved 2009-12-11 .
^ a b c d "Chiococca alba (L.) A.S. Hitchc. West Indian snow-berry" (PDF) . International Institute of Tropical Forestry . United States Forest Service. Retrieved 2009-12-11 .
^ Hammer, Roger L. (2004). Florida Keys Wildflowers: A Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of the Florida Keys . Globe Pequot. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-7627-2569-4 . [permanent dead link ]
^ a b Nelson, Gil (1996). The Shrubs and Woody Vines of Florida: a Reference and Field Guide . Pineapple Press Inc. p. 297. ISBN 978-1-56164-110-9 .
^ a b Gilman, Edward F. (October 1999). "Chiococca alba" (PDF) . Cooperative Extension Service Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences . University of Florida. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-12 .
^ "Lonicera alba " . Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service , United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 2010-04-19 .
^ "Chiococca P. Browne" . TROPICOS . Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2009-12-11 .
^ Austin, Daniel F. (2004). Florida Ethnobotany . CRC Press. pp. 200–202. ISBN 978-0-8493-2332-4 .
External links
Chiococca alba Lonicera alba