Trema micranthum
Species of tree From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Trema micranthum (sometimes Trema micrantha), the Jamaican nettletree[2] or capulin,[3] is a plant species native to warmer parts of the Western Hemisphere. It has been reported from Mexico, Central America, tropical South America, the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and southern Florida.[1][4][5]
| Trema micranthum | |
|---|---|
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| In Brasília | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Cannabaceae |
| Genus: | Trema |
| Species: | T. micranthum |
| Binomial name | |
| Trema micranthum (L.) Blume | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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List
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Description
Trema micranthrum is a shrub or small pioneer tree up to 10 m (33 ft) tall or more. Leaves are egg-shaped, up to 9 cm (3.5 in) long, green on top but covered with white, woolly pubescence underneath. Flowers are greenish-white. Fruits are yellow to bright reddish-range, up to 4 mm (0.16 in) in diameter. [4][6][7] It is most famous for its extraordinary growth rate; as much as forty-five feet (fourteen meters) in two years.[8]
Uses
Following the recent local extirpation of slow-growing xalama in San Pablito, Mexico due to unsustainable harvesting driven by tourism, the Otomi people now use T. micranthum bark strips as a raw material for making handmade amate paper.[9]
Phytochemicals
Claims have been made that T. micranthum may contain cannabidiol,[10] a non-psychoactive but medicinally useful component known from Cannabis. However, as with similar claims previously made about the related plant Trema orientale,[11] such claims have not yet been independently replicated by other researchers and are not yet widely accepted by the scientific community.[12] Also, a more recent publication did not provide conclusive evidence, e.g. in the form of fragmentation spectra or the analysis of isolated compounds by NMR.[13]
References
External links
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