A study on unconventional seed oils from Burkina Faso was carried out to determine their potential usefulness. The highest oil content was obtained with Marantes polyandra (55.0%) and the lowest with Detarium microcarpum seed oil (12.0%). Linoleic and oleic acids were the most dominant fatty acids of Balanites aegyptiaca, Combretum aculeatum, Detarium microcarpum and Lophira lanceolata. Eleoste...

This study examines how the seed morphology of two large arborescent palms, Attalea maripa (Aubl.) Mart. and Astrocaryum aculeatum G. Mey, may affect their seed shadow in a seasonally dry Amazonian forest. In addition to being smaller and produced in larger numbers than those of A. aculeatum, A. maripa seeds also presented a substantially lower amount of nutritional reserves available for the e...

We assessed the level and distribution of genetic diversity in three species of the economically important palm genus Astrocaryum located in Pará State, in northern Brazil. Samples were collected in three municipalities for Astrocaryum aculeatum: Belterra, Santarém, and Terra Santa; and in two municipalities for both A. murumuru: Belém and Santo Antônio do Tauá and A. paramaca: Belém and Ananin...

BACKGROUND Current tuberculosis regimens have failed to combat the issue of drug resistance and ethno medicines may represent a possible source of antimycobacterial agents. Combretum species are well known in African traditional medicines and used for various ailments including pneumonia, venereal diseases like syphilis, mental problems, relief of sore throats and colds, fever, and chest coughs...

Thirty-eight Zimbabwean medicinal plant extracts were investigated for in vitro antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Candida krusei. These plants are used for the traditional treatment of various ailments, including fungal infections. The ethanol extracts were tested for antifungal activity using the agar disc diffusion method. The minimum inhibition concentrations (MICs) were deter...

Cancer is one of the most prominent human diseases which has stimulated scientific and commercial interest in the discovery of new anticancer agents from natural sources. The current study investigates the cytotoxic activity of ethanolic extracts of sixteen Nigerian plants used locally for the treatment of cancer using the MTT assay on the HeLa cell line. Sapium ellipticum leaves showed activit...

Not all of the Sudan has been covered by post studies; and parts of it seemed more favoured research topic of the others. The first attempt to study the flora of the study area was in 1958, which included in the work of Harrison and Jackson about classification of the Sudan vegetation. The study area was very rich of plant diversity, especially trees and shrubs, because of the high rainfall and...

The Combretaceae is a large family of herbs, shrubs and trees, comprising about 20 genera and 600 species with tropical distribution around the globe and centers of diversity in Africa and Asia. Some Combretum species are extensively used in traditional medicine against inflammation, infections, diabetes, malaria, bleeding, diarrhea and digestive disorders and others as a diuretic. The present ...

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Current environmental changes may affect the dynamics and viability of plant populations. This environmental sensitivity may differ between species of different ploidy level because polyploidization can influence life history traits. We compared the demography and climatic sensitivity of two closely related ferns: the tetraploid Polystichum aculeatum and one of its diploid ...