Sisyrinchium palmifolium

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Sisyrinchium palmifolium
• Lagrimas De La Virgen

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Sisyrinchium palmifolium var. congestum
• Bermudiana congesta
• Galatea americana
• Eleutherine americana
• Sisyrinchium americanum
• Cipura plicata
• Ixia americana
• Sisyrinchium latifolium
• Eleutherine anomala
• Bermudiana bulbosa
• Ferraria parviflora
• Sisyrinchium elatum
• Sisyrinchium congestum
• Sisyrinchium bulbosum
• Sisyrinchium capitatum
• Sisyrinchium racemosum
• Eleutherine longifolia
• Eleutherine plicata
• Eleutherine subaphylla
• Galatea bulbosa
• Galatea plicata
• Sisyrinchium plicatum

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta within the class Equisetopsida. As a member of the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Asparagales, it falls under the family Iridaceae. Finally, its specific taxonomic placement is within the genus Eleutherine.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad geographical distribution spanning several distinct tropical regions across the globe. In West-Central Tropical Africa, it can be found within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its presence extends to Southern Tropical Africa, specifically inhabiting the territory of Angola. Moving toward the Western Indian Ocean, the species is recorded on the island of Réunion. Finally, its range includes the Indian Subcontinent in India and the Indo-China region in Cambodia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Eleutherine bulbosa is characterized by its ability to inhabit diverse environmental settings across a broad altitudinal gradient. This species is found in varied landscapes, specifically occupying habitats such as the Cerrado and Campo de Altitude. Its distribution spans from sea level, starting at an elevation of 0 m AMSL, and extends significantly upward, reaching maximum elevations of up to 2000 m and even 3900 m AMSL depending on the specific ecological niche and regional variations.

Elevational range max:

3900 m AMSL

Elevational range max:

2000 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

Cerrado

Habitat :

Campo de Altitude

Life history

The life history of Eleutherine bulbosa is characterized by a perennial lifecycle, allowing the plant to persist across multiple growing seasons. Its structural survival strategy is defined by several overlapping life form classifications: it functions as a hemicryptophyte and a cryptophyte, meaning its perennial buds are protected at or just below the soil surface, and it is specifically categorized as a geophyte due to its reliance on underground storage organs. This geophytic nature ensures its resilience and continuous growth through its specialized subterranean structures.

Life form :

hemicryptophyte

Life form :

geophyte

Life form :

cryptophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Eleutherine bulbosa is characterized by its growth as a non-woody herb, specifically classified as a forb. This plant is strictly terrestrial in its habitat, showing no aquatic or semiaquatic tendencies, and functions as an independent organism without parasitic behavior. It is a self-supporting species, lacking any climbing, liana, or vine-like characteristics. As a non-epiphytic terrestrial plant, it does not exhibit holoepiphytic or hemiepiphytic growth forms. The plant maintains a relatively low stature, with a mean height of approximately 0.4 meters.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height mean:

0.4 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Eleutherine bulbosa is characterized by its specific metabolic and nutritional processes. The plant utilizes a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which is the standard mechanism for carbon fixation in most terrestrial plants, involving the initial carboxylation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate by the enzyme RuBisCO to form a three-carbon compound. In terms of its nutrient acquisition, Eleutherine bulbosa is not a nitrogen fixer; it does not possess a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria to convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms, meaning it must rely on the uptake of nitrates or ammonium present in the soil substrate to support its growth and protein synthesis.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Eleutherine bulbosa is primarily driven by its vegetative and sexual processes, with a distinct emphasis on bulbous propagation. Vegetatively, the plant reproduces through its underground bulbous structures, which allow for clonal expansion and survival during unfavorable environmental conditions. In terms of sexual reproduction, the plant produces flowers that facilitate genetic recombination; however, a key characteristic of its reproductive biology is that self-fertilization is absent. The lack of self-fertilization indicates that the plant relies on cross-pollination mechanisms to ensure genetic diversity, requiring the transfer of pollen between different individuals to successfully complete the fertilization process and produce viable seeds.

Self fertilization :

absent

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Eleutherine bulbosa has 15 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Eleutherin, Isoeleutherin, Eleutherol, Flavonoids, KADSURIC ACID.

Eleutherin

1. Journal of pharmaceutical sciences
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Toxicology reports
4. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
5. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

Isoeleutherin

1. Natural product research
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Toxicology reports
4. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
5. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

Eleutherol

1. Journal of pharmaceutical sciences
2. Anti-inflammatory & anti-allergy agents in medicinal chemistry
3. Toxicology reports
4. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis

Flavonoids

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Journal of oleo science

KADSURIC ACID

1. Natural product research
2. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

Naphthoquinones

1. Toxicology reports
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

polyphenols

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Journal of oleo science

Anthocyanins

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

BETA-SITOSTEROL

1. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

CHLOROGENIC ACID

1. Natural product research

Activities

Eleutherine bulbosa has 3 reported activities identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antibacterial, Antioxidant, Antitumor.

Antibacterial

1. Journal of pharmaceutical sciences
2. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
3. Journal of oleo science

Antioxidant

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP
3. Journal of oleo science

Antitumor

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Medicinal Uses

Eleutherine bulbosa has 14 reported medicinal uses identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include breast cancer, hypertension, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Gram-negative bacteria.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations