shrubby sophora

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• shrubby sophora

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Radiusia flavescens

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Fabales, it is classified under the family Fabaceae. It is further identified by the genus Sophora, specifically as the species Sophora flavescens.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a wide-ranging geographical distribution across various regions of Eurasia. In Northern Europe, its presence can be identified within Great Britain. The species is also extensively found throughout Siberia, specifically in the Altay, Chita, and Irkutsk regions. Furthermore, it extends into the Russian Far East, particularly in the Amur area. These diverse locations highlight the plant's ability to thrive in distinct northern and eastern habitats.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Sophora flavescens is characterized by its ability to thrive in disturbed environments, most notably within crop fields where it often grows as a spontaneous or opportunistic species. In these agricultural settings, the plant adapts to the modified soil structures and varying nutrient availability typical of cultivated lands. Its presence in such habitats suggests a tolerance for anthropogenically influenced landscapes, allowing it to establish itself alongside primary crops. The ecological niche it occupies within these fields is often defined by its resilience to land management practices and its ability to utilize the open space and sunlight available in disturbed soil profiles.

Habitat :

crop fields

Life history

The life history of Sophora flavescens is characterized by its status as a perennial herb, allowing the plant to establish a long-term presence in its natural habitat through a robust underground root system. As a perennial species, it does not complete its life cycle in a single growing season but instead undergoes repeated cycles of vegetative growth and seasonal dormancy. The plant typically spends much of its energy developing a thick, tuberous taproot, which serves as a vital nutrient and water storage organ, enabling it to survive unfavorable environmental conditions and regrow during favorable seasons. Its developmental stages involve the emergence of compound leaves and the eventual production of inflorescences, leading to seed formation which facilitates dispersal and the establishment of new individuals within the ecosystem.

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Sophora flavescens is characterized by its growth as a self-supporting herb with a woody structure. It typically exhibits a plant height ranging from a minimum of 0.5 m to a maximum of 0.7 m. Regarding its ecological habit, the plant is classified as terrestrial rather than aquatic or semiaquatic, and it functions as an independent organism without parasitic tendencies. As an epiphyte, it maintains a terrestrial existence, and its overall growth form is consistently identified as a herb.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

0.7 m

Plant height min:

0.5 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Sophora flavescens is fundamentally characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, a metabolic strategy common to most dicotyledonous woody shrubs and perennials. Under this pathway, the initial fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide occurs through the enzyme Rubisco, resulting in the formation of a three-carbon compound, 3-phosphoglycerate. This carbon fixation process is integrated into the Calvin cycle to facilitate the synthesis of carbohydrates required for the plant's structural growth and the production of its characteristic secondary metabolites. The plant's physiological efficiency is closely tied to its stomatal conductance and transpiration rates, which regulate gas exchange and water use efficiency in response to environmental stressors. Furthermore, its metabolic framework supports the complex biosynthetic pathways necessary for the accumulation of bioactive alkaloids and flavonoids, which serve both as defense mechanisms and as key chemical constituents of the species.

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Sophora flavescens is characterized by a specific seasonal flowering cycle and highly consistent seed characteristics. The flowering period is concentrated in the month of July, marking a distinct window for pollination. Following the flowering stage, the plant produces seeds that exhibit remarkable uniformity in weight; the seed mass remains constant across all measured parameters, with a minimum, maximum, and mean mass all recorded at 0.03504 g. This precise seed mass suggests a highly stabilized reproductive output per individual seed.

Flowering time :

Jul

Seed mass mean:

0.03504 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Sophora flavescens has 2 reported plant parts identified across 21 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include root, seed.

Root

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Phytotherapy research : PTR
3. Pulmonary pharmacology & therapeutics
4. Bioorganic chemistry
5. Journal of natural products

Seed

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

Chemicals

Sophora flavescens has 82 reported phytochemicals identified across 21 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Matrine, Oxymatrine, Flavonoids, Sophoraflavanone G, Kurarinone.

Matrine

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Scientific reports
3. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
4. Yakugaku zasshi : Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
5. Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin

Oxymatrine

1. European journal of pharmacology
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Scientific reports
4. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
5. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

Flavonoids

1. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
4. Journal of leukocyte biology
5. Fitoterapia

Sophoraflavanone G

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Phytochemistry
4. Natural product communications
5. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Kurarinone

1. Journal of natural products
2. Natural product communications
3. Genes
4. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
5. Journal of advanced research

Sophoridine

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Scientific reports
3. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
4. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Frontiers in microbiology

Trifolirhizin

1. Journal of natural products
2. Scientific reports
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. International journal of molecular sciences

Kushenol A

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Pulmonary pharmacology & therapeutics
3. Genes

Maackiain

1. Scientific reports
2. Natural product research
3. International journal of molecular sciences

Oxysophocarpine

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
3. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)

Activities

Sophora flavescens has 33 reported activities identified across 21 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Antitumor, Estrogenic, Cytotoxic.

Antioxidant

1. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Journal of ethnopharmacology
4. BMC genomics
5. Chinese herbal medicines

Antibacterial

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Journal of natural products
3. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
4. BMC genomics

Antitumor

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. BMC genomics
3. Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England)
4. Chinese herbal medicines

Estrogenic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of natural products
3. Environmental toxicology and pharmacology
4. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Cytotoxic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Toxicology in vitro : an international journal published in association with BIBRA

Anticancer

1. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
2. Scientific reports

Antimicrobial

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Chinese herbal medicines

Diuretic

1. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
2. Chinese herbal medicines

Abortifacient

1. Dr. Duke

Anthelmintic

1. Chinese herbal medicines

Medicinal Uses

Sophora flavescens has 67 reported medicinal uses identified across 21 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include cancer, breast cancer, dysentery, antioxidant, asthma.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations