- Dioscoreophyllum volkensii
-
Dioscoreophyllum volkensii Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ranunculales Family: Menispermaceae Genus: Dioscoreophyllum Species: D. volkensii Binomial name Dioscoreophyllum volkensii
Engl.Dioscoreophyllum volkensii (Serendipity berry), is a tropical dioecious rainforest vine in the family Menispermaceae. It is native throughout most of tropical Africa from Sierra Leone east to Eritrea, and south to Angola and Mozambique. It occurs at low altitudes, from sea level up to 400 m; some authors separate plants from above 200 m as a separate species D. cumminsii (Stapf) Diels.[1]
There are two varieties:[1]
- Dioscoreophyllum volkensii var. volkensii. Endemic on Bioko.
- Dioscoreophyllum volkensii var. fernandense (Hutch. & Dalziel) Troupin. Mainland Africa.
Uses
The fruit contains monellin, an intensely sweet protein with potential use as a sugar replacement for diabetics.[2] For humans, monellin is 100,000 times sweeter than sucrose. [3]
References
- ^ a b African Plants Database: Dioscoreophyllum volkensii
- ^ Oselebe, H. O., & Nwankiti, O. C. (2005). Cytology of root tips of Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii. Agro-Science 4 (1): 43-45. Abstract
- ^ This, Hervé (2006). Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-13312-8.
Categories:- Menispermaceae
- Flora of Africa
- Dioecious plants
- Ranunculales stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.