Heliotropium arbainense

Heliotropium arbainense, commonly known as a member of the Boraginaceae family, is a medicinal plant indigenous to specific arid regions. Renowned for its unique phytochemical profile, it is traditionally utilized in folk medicine to treat various ailments, offering significant pharmacological potential for developing new therapeutic agents in modern medicine.

  • Scientific name: Heliotropium arbainense
  • Family: Boraginaceae
  • Native range: Africa

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Boraginales, it is classified under the family Boraginaceae. Finally, it is identified by the genus Heliotropium, specifically as the species Heliotropium arbainense.

Rank Classification Source
Kingdom Plantae WCVP
Phylum Streptophyta WCVP
Class Equisetopsida WCVP
Subclass Magnoliidae WCVP
Order Boraginales WCVP
Family Boraginaceae WCVP
Genus Heliotropium WCVP

Common Names

This plant, Heliotropium arbainense, is recognized by various local names depending on the linguistic and regional context. In Arabic, it is known as رقيب الشمس العرباوي, while in Persian, it is referred to as آفتاب‌پرست سیستانی.
Language Common Name Source
ar رقيب الشمس العرباوي Wikidata
fa آفتاب‌پرست سیستانی Wikidata

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad geographical distribution spanning across several diverse regions. In Northern Africa, its presence is documented within the borders of Egypt. It is also found throughout Northeast Tropical Africa, specifically in Ethiopia and the areas of Sudan and South Sudan. Moving toward the Western Indian Ocean, the species can be located on the island of Madagascar. Finally, its range extends into Western Asia, where it inhabits parts of Afghanistan.

Region Area Source
Northern Africa Egypt WCVP
Northeast Tropical Africa Ethiopia WCVP
Northeast Tropical Africa Sudan-South Sudan WCVP
Western Indian Ocean Madagascar WCVP
Western Asia Afghanistan WCVP
Western Asia Iran WCVP
Western Asia Lebanon-Syria WCVP
Western Asia Palestine WCVP
Western Asia Sinai WCVP
Arabian Peninsula Saudi Arabia WCVP

Chemicals

Heliotropium arbainense has 2 reported phytochemicals identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include kaempferol, rhazimol.

Total chemicals
2
Scientific sources
2

Most Reported Compounds

Compound Sources Confidence
kaempferol 1 ★☆☆☆☆
rhazimol 1 ★☆☆☆☆