Garlic vine

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Adenocalymma alliaceum
• Anemopaegma pachypus
• Adenocalymma sagotii
• Bignonia citrifolia
• Bignonia alliacea
• Adenocalymma obovatum
• Adenocalymma pachypus
• Pseudocalymma alliaceum var. macrocalyx
• Pseudocalymma sagotii var. macrocalyx
• Pachyptera alliacea
• Pseudocalymma pachypus
• Pseudocalymma sagotii
• Pseudocalymma alliaceum

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant, Mansoa alliacea, belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. Within the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae, it is classified under the order Lamiales and the family Bignoniaceae. Finally, its taxonomic identity is defined by the genus Mansoa.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse geographical distribution spanning both the Pacific and Atlantic regions. In the northwestern Pacific, its presence is noted specifically within the Caroline Islands. Moving toward the Caribbean, it can be found across several island nations and territories. This includes significant populations in the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. Furthermore, its range extends through the Leeward Islands within the Caribbean archipelago.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Mansoa alliacea is characterized by its preference for specific tropical forest environments, specifically thriving within Floresta de Terra Firme and Floresta Ombrófila (Pluvial Forest). These habitats provide the high humidity and stable moisture levels necessary for its growth. In terms of topography, the species occupies a specific altitudinal niche, with an average elevational range of 375 m AMSL (meters above sea level), positioning it within the lowland to mid-elevation strata of its native ecosystems.

Elevational range mean:

375 m AMSL

Habitat :

Floresta de Terra Firme, Floresta Ombrófila (= Floresta Pluvial)

Life history

The life history of Mansoa alliacea is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons and establish a stable presence within its ecosystem. Throughout its lifespan, the plant maintains an evergreen habit, ensuring that it retains its foliage year-round rather than undergoing a seasonal shedding process. This continuous leaf presence supports its ongoing metabolic activities and provides a consistent structural component to its growth pattern.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Mansoa alliacea is characterized by its growth habit as a woody liana, functioning as an obligatory climber that relies on external structures for support. It is a terrestrial plant that grows to an average height of approximately 2.5 m. As an independent organism, it does not function as a parasite, and its life cycle is strictly terrestrial rather than epiphytic.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

liana

Climber :

obligatory

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Parasite :

independent

Plant height mean:

2.5 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Mansoa alliacea is characterized by a specific metabolic framework and nutrient acquisition strategy. The plant utilizes a C3 photosynthetic pathway, meaning it fixes carbon dioxide through the Calvin cycle using the enzyme RuBisCO, a process typical of most woody shrubs and vines in its taxonomic group. In terms of its nutritional ecology, Mansoa alliacea is not a nitrogen fixer; it lacks the specialized symbiotic relationships with diazotrophic bacteria, such as Rhizobium, required to convert atmospheric nitrogen into bioavailable forms, and instead relies on the uptake of nitrates and ammonium from the soil substrate to meet its metabolic nitrogen requirements.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

Reproduction in Mansoa alliacea is achieved through the production of small, lightweight seeds that utilize various mechanisms for movement and colonization. The plant exhibits a multifaceted dispersal syndrome characterized primarily as anemochorous, where wind acts as the principal agent to carry seeds away from the parent plant. In addition to wind dispersal, the reproductive strategy includes elements of zoochory, involving animals in the seed movement process, as well as autochory, where seeds are dispersed through self-expulsion mechanisms. The species also demonstrates the capacity for hydrochory, utilizing water currents for transport, and maintains an unspecialized dispersal profile that allows it to adapt to diverse environmental conditions to ensure successful propagation.

Dispersal syndrome :

anemochorous

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Mansoa alliacea has 1 reported plant parts identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf.

Leaf

1. Pharmaceutics

Chemicals

Mansoa alliacea has 7 reported phytochemicals identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Anthocyanins, Flavonoids, Tannins, Triterpenes, Ursolic acid.

Anthocyanins

1. Pharmaceutics

Flavonoids

1. Pharmaceutics

Tannins

1. Pharmaceutics

Triterpenes

1. Pharmaceutics

Ursolic acid

1. Journal of mass spectrometry : JMS

ketones

1. Pharmaceutics

polyphenols

1. Pharmaceutics

Activities

Mansoa alliacea has 8 reported activities identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antibacterial, Antidepressant, Antioxidant, Antitumor, Antiviral.

Antibacterial

1. Pharmaceutics

Antidepressant

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antioxidant

1. Pharmaceutics

Antitumor

1. Pharmaceutics

Antiviral

1. Journal of mass spectrometry : JMS

Anxiolytic

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Gastroprotective

1. Journal of mass spectrometry : JMS

Hepatoprotective

1. Journal of mass spectrometry : JMS

Medicinal Uses

Mansoa alliacea has 4 reported medicinal uses identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include antidepressant, antioxidant, antiviral, anxiolytic.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations