Cyathula officinalis

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Distribution

This plant exhibits a wide geographical presence across several key regions in Asia. Within China, its distribution spans the South-Central, North-Central, and Southeast territories. Beyond the Chinese borders, it is also documented within the Indian Subcontinent. Specifically, the species can be found growing in the mountainous terrain of Nepal. Consequently, these diverse locations highlight the broad environmental adaptability of the species.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Cyathula officinalis is closely tied to specific altitudinal gradients within its native montane habitats. This species thrives across a defined elevational range that spans from a minimum of 1500 m AMSL to a maximum of 2000 m AMSL, maintaining a mean elevation of 1500 m AMSL. Such a distribution suggests that the plant is specialized for mid-to-high altitude environments, likely favoring the specific climatic conditions, such as temperature regimes and moisture levels, characteristic of these mountainous zones.

Elevational range max:

2000 m AMSL

Elevational range mean:

1500 m AMSL

Life history

The life history of Cyathula officinalis is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, meaning it persists through multiple growing seasons rather than completing its life cycle within a single year. As a perennial species, it establishes a long-term presence in its habitat, allowing it to undergo repeated cycles of vegetative growth and reproductive development. This enduring lifecycle enables the plant to accumulate resources over time, providing it with the resilience to survive varying environmental conditions and to contribute to the population through successive flowering and seeding events across several years.

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Cyathula officinalis is characterized by its growth form as a herb, exhibiting a non-woody structure throughout its vegetative development. It functions as a self-supporting climber, maintaining its upright or climbing posture without requiring external support, and presents a herbaceous habit consistent with its classification as a non-woody plant.

Climber :

self-supporting

Growth form :

herb

Woodiness :

non-woody

Reproduction

The reproduction of Cyathula officinalis culminates in the development of small, specialized fruits that exhibit specific dimensional variations. The morphology of these fruits is characterized by a length that typically ranges from a minimum of 0.2 cm to a maximum of 0.3 cm, with an average length measured at 0.25 cm. Similarly, the fruit width shows significant variation, starting from a minimum of 0.1 cm and reaching a maximum of 0.2 cm, resulting in a mean width of 0.15 cm. These precise measurements define the structural dimensions of the reproductive output used for seed dispersal.

Fruit length max:

0.3 cm

Fruit length mean:

0.25 cm

Fruit length min:

0.2 cm

Fruit width max:

0.2 cm

Fruit width mean:

0.15 cm

Fruit width min:

0.1 cm

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Cyathula officinalis has 2 reported plant parts identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include root, seed.

Root

1. Chinese journal of natural medicines

Seed

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Preparations

Cyathula officinalis has 2 reported preparations identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include COE, roots.

Coe

1. Fish & shellfish immunology

Roots

1. Chinese journal of natural medicines