A Review on biological and phytochemical investigation of plant genus Callistimon

Callistemon is a genus of 34 species of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, all of which are endemic to Australia. It is sometimes considered a synonym of Melaleuca. Callistemon species are commonly referred to as bottlebrushes because of their cylindrical, brush like flowers resembling a traditional bottle brush. They are found in the more temperate regions of Australia, mostly along the east coast and south-west, and typically favour moist conditions so when planted in gardens thrive on regular watering. However, at least some of the species are drought-resistant. Callistemon can be propagated either by cuttings (some species more easily than others), or from the rounded seeds. Flowering is normally in spring and early summer (October–December), but conditions may cause flowering at other times of the year. In Australia, Callistemon species are sometimes used as food plants by the larvae of hepialid moths of the genus Aenetus including A. ligniveren. These burrow horizontally into the trunk then vertically down. In India, bottlebrush plants/trees are grown in gardens. Their leaves have a lovely fragrance which gets released on crushing the leaves with hands. The genus Callistemon is known in folk medicine for its anticough, antibronchitis, and insecticidal effects and its volatile oils have been used as antimicrobial and antifungal agents[1-3] Biological evaluation Diverse bioactivity studies on different species of genus Callistemon have been reported. C. lanceolatus is a small tree, indigenous to Australia and frequently grown in gardens in India. A survey of literature revealed the isolation of some phenolic derivatives, aliphatic acids and steroids from flowers[4-7], fruits[4,5], leaves[815], stem bark and seeds[16]. Callistemon lanceolatus D.C. (Myrtaceae) is a slow-growing ornamental shrub that grows to a height of around 10 meters. C. lanceolatus is a native tree to Australia, but is also widely distributed in Asian countries. It is commonly known as crimson bottle brush tree because of its spiky inflorescence that resembles a bottle brush. The inflorescence is crimson in color and cylindrical, and flowers are borne in spring and summer. ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT