![Bracts and position of flower development in Kadsura. A, solitary flower of K. japonica, showing numerous bracts. B, glomerule of flowers in K scandens, with circular scars where fruits from previous years were located. (A, redrawn from Weberling, 1988: fig. 7V; B, redrawn from Blume, 1830: fig. 2.] Drawing by S.](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Richard-Saunders-10/publication/230859529/figure/fig2/AS:671527888515085@1537116133716/Bracts-and-position-of-flower-development-in-Kadsura-A-solitary-flower-of-K-japonica_Q320.jpg)
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Monograph of Kadsura (Schisandraceae)
Abstract and Figures
The genus Kadsura (Schisandraceae) comprises 16 species of scandent and twining woody vines. The genus is relatively primitive, with unisexual flowers with floral organs spirally arranged around an elongate torus, and with a perianth of separate tepals. Although the female flowers are invariably apocarpous, the male flowers are structurally diverse, with three main androecial forms evident. Variation in androecial structure is used as the basis of an amended supraspecific classification, with two subgenera, viz.: Kadsura subg. Cosbaea, consisting of only one species and characterized by an androecium of essentially free stamens; and subg. Kadsura, consisting of species with compact subglobose androecia derived from the close appression of short, fleshy stamens. The latter subgenus is further divided into two sections on the basis of stamen morphology, viz.: sect. Kadsura (8 species), with stamens bearing lateral thecae so that the thecae of adjacent stamens are contiguous; and sect. Sarcocarpon (7 species), with stamens bearing dorsolateral thecae, so that the thecae of adjacent stamens are not contiguous. Various aspects relating to the genus are extensively reviewed and discussed, including: nomenclatural history; morphology and anatomy; reproductive biology (including sex expression, pollination systems, and mechanisms of fruit and seed dispersal); cytology; phytochemistry; ethnobotany (including medicinal uses); and palaeobotany. Cladistic parsimony techniques are employed for phylogenetic reconstruction, enabling a revision of the supraspecific classification and a discussion of the main evolutionary trends in the genus. Kadsura is widely distributed in eastern Asia and has a center of diversity in southern China; historical biogeographical interpretations based on occurrences of fossil species suggest that the Schisandraceae originated in the Aquilapollenites province (western North America-Asia) during the Upper Cretaceous, with subsequent retreat correlated with the post-Eocene climatic deterioration.
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... In China, the plant extracts of K. longipedunculata root and stem are used as analgesics and to treat hepatitis, rheumatism, gastroenteritis, insomnia, and malaria as well as cancer treatment [23,[52][53][54][58][59][60]. The roots, leaves, and fruit of K. longipedunculata are used to make fragrant oils, and the stems have also been used to make rope [23,56]. Lin et al. [27] reported that nigranoic acid and kadsuric acid extracted from K. longipedunculataprevented stomach mucosal sores caused by absolute alcohol, indomethacin, and stress. ...
... In China, the plant extracts of K. longipedunculata root and stem are used as analgesics and to treat hepatitis, rheumatism, gastroenteritis, insomnia, and malaria as well as cancer treatment [23,[52][53][54][58][59][60]. The roots, leaves, and fruit of K. longipedunculata are used to make fragrant oils, and the stems have also been used to make rope [23,56]. ...
... In China, the plant extracts of K. longipedunculata root and stem are used as analgesics and to treat hepatitis, rheumatism, gastroenteritis, insomnia, and malaria as well as cancer treatment [23,[52][53][54][58][59][60]. The roots, leaves, and fruit of K. longipedunculata are used to make fragrant oils, and the stems have also been used to make rope [23,56]. Lin et al. [27] reported that nigranoic acid and kadsuric acid extracted from K. longipedunculat prevented stomach mucosal sores caused by absolute alcohol, indomethacin, and stress. ...
Kadsura longipedunculata Finet & Gagnepain (Chinese Kadsura vine) is an evergreen climbing shrub that is widely found in the southwest province of China. The plant can be used as folk medicine to cure canker sores, dysmenorrhea, traumatic injury, insomnia, rheumatoid arthritis, gastrointestinal inflammation, menstrual disorders, and feminine condition. We conducted an open-ended, online database search with the help of Baidu Scholar, CNKI, Elsevier, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Google, Pubmed, and Web of Science for all publications accessible from 1986 to 2022, using the terms related to traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties. A total of ca. 314 phytochemicals were reviewed and identified in K. longipedunculata, with lignans and terpenoids as the predominant groups. The isolated compounds of this plant possess cytotoxic, antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-insomnia, anti-trypanosomal, anti-platelet aggregation, hepatoprotective, and other pharmacological effects. This review offers primary data for further research needed to determine the chemical components responsible for its pharmacological effect in order to continue its traditional use. More clinical and preclinical evidence is required to determine the rationale and safety of using K. longipendunculata for medicinal and food purposes.
... ex Juss. (Schisandraceae) is a genus of twining lianas, with a centre of diversity in southern China and West Malesia, extending from Sri Lanka and eastern India in the west, to Japan in the north-east, and to Java, Sulawesi and the Moluccas in the south-east (Saunders, 1998a). The most recent monograph of the genus recognises 16 species (Saunders, 1998a). ...
... (Schisandraceae) is a genus of twining lianas, with a centre of diversity in southern China and West Malesia, extending from Sri Lanka and eastern India in the west, to Japan in the north-east, and to Java, Sulawesi and the Moluccas in the south-east (Saunders, 1998a). The most recent monograph of the genus recognises 16 species (Saunders, 1998a). However, with the recent resurrection of Kadsura matsudae Hayata (formerly a synonym of K. japonica (L.) Dunal) from the Ryukyu Islands (Japan) and Taiwan (Suetsugu et al., 2017), the genus now comprises 17 species. ...
... However, with the recent resurrection of Kadsura matsudae Hayata (formerly a synonym of K. japonica (L.) Dunal) from the Ryukyu Islands (Japan) and Taiwan (Suetsugu et al., 2017), the genus now comprises 17 species. As a member of the basal angiosperms (order Austrobaileyales), Kadsura exhibits several plesiomorphic traits such as an elongated floral axis with numerous spirally arranged organs, a perianth comprising tepals that lack distinction between sepals and petals, and poorly differentiated carpels, without true styles or stigmas (Saunders, 1998a). However, unlike most basal angiosperms, Kadsura is monoecious with unisexual flowers (Saunders, 1998a). ...
Recent taxonomic and floristic accounts list Kadsura scandens (Blume) Blume as the sole native Kadsura species in Singapore. However, these works have overlooked Ridley's earlier documentation of another species, Kadsura verrucosa (Gagnep.) A.C.Sm., which was recorded under the misapplied name K. cauliflora. The reduction of Kadsura cauliflora to a synonym of K. scandens led to the uncritical acceptance of a single Kadsura species in Singapore. The confusion between Kadsura scandens and the morphologically similar K. verrucosa may be partly attributed to the demonstrably ambiguous lectotype of K. scandens. An epitype is therefore designated for Kadsura scandens. Key differences between the two Kadsura species and brief propagation notes are provided here.
... The genus Kadsura Kaempfer ex Jussieu (1810: 340) comprises 11-16 species of scandent and twining woody vines (Saunders 1998, Lin 2002. Kadsura possesses many morphological and anatomical features that have been interpreted as ancestral: although the flowers are unisexual, the gynoecium consists of numerous free carpels that are spirally arranged around an elongated floral axis or torus (Saunders 1998). ...
... The genus Kadsura Kaempfer ex Jussieu (1810: 340) comprises 11-16 species of scandent and twining woody vines (Saunders 1998, Lin 2002. Kadsura possesses many morphological and anatomical features that have been interpreted as ancestral: although the flowers are unisexual, the gynoecium consists of numerous free carpels that are spirally arranged around an elongated floral axis or torus (Saunders 1998). Each carpel is ascidiate and poorly differentiated, possessing a small pseudostyle that is either narrow and subulate, or else slightly enlarged distally to form a subpeltate pseudostigma (Saunders 1998). ...
... Kadsura possesses many morphological and anatomical features that have been interpreted as ancestral: although the flowers are unisexual, the gynoecium consists of numerous free carpels that are spirally arranged around an elongated floral axis or torus (Saunders 1998). Each carpel is ascidiate and poorly differentiated, possessing a small pseudostyle that is either narrow and subulate, or else slightly enlarged distally to form a subpeltate pseudostigma (Saunders 1998). ...
The taxonomic identity of Kadsura matsudae is reevaluated. This taxon is often treated as a synonym of K. japonica, a species known from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. When studying the type materials of K. matsudae, however, we noted that some of its morphological characters, such as the non-contiguous thecae in adjacent stamens, do not fall within the typical variation range of K. japonica. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that although K. matsudae is retrieved within the sect. Kad-sura clade, it is not closely related to K. japonica. We therefore propose that K. matsudae should be recognized as a distinct species. Because the protologue of K. matsudae lacks sufficient detail with regards to stamen morphology, which is one of the most important characteristics for identifying the species, we provide an emended description of K. matsudae based on the holotype specimen and newly collected specimens.
... The larvae develop between the carpels, feeding on floral exudates, but never ovules. The family Schisandraceae, however, also comprises two genera with unisexual flowers, Kadsura and Schisandra (Saunders, 1998(Saunders, , 2000. Kadsura, with 15-20 species, all in tropical Asia, has flowers with cone-like androecia of poorly understood function because the stamen's massive connectives leave such minute spaces between adjacent thecae that it is difficult to envisage pollen export (Saunders, 1998;Endress, 2001). ...
... The family Schisandraceae, however, also comprises two genera with unisexual flowers, Kadsura and Schisandra (Saunders, 1998(Saunders, , 2000. Kadsura, with 15-20 species, all in tropical Asia, has flowers with cone-like androecia of poorly understood function because the stamen's massive connectives leave such minute spaces between adjacent thecae that it is difficult to envisage pollen export (Saunders, 1998;Endress, 2001). In female flowers, the carpels form a compact shield at the periphery of the gynoecium, with the uppermost part of each carpel's stigma barely emerging (Endress, 2001). ...
... To elucidate the function of Kadsura flowers, we carried out fieldwork on four species in their natural habitats in China, including the previously investigated K. longipedunculata, in addition to three other species chosen to represent the two subgenera, one of which contains only K. coccinea (Saunders, 1998). We used gas chromatography to analyse the floral scent and the exudates, and molecular clock-dated phylogenies for both the plants and their pollinating insects to infer the specificity and geological age of the interactions. ...
Background and aims:
Resin is a defence against herbivores and a floral reward in a few African and South American species whose bee pollinators collect it for nest construction. Here we describe a new role for floral resin from the Asian genus Kadsura (Schisandraceae). Kadsura tepals tightly cover a globe formed by carpels (in females) or near-fused stamens with fleshy connectives (in male flowers of most, but not all species).
Methods:
We carried out field observations at four sites in China and used pollinator behavioural assays, chemical analyses and time-calibrated insect and plant phylogenies to investigate the specificity of the interactions and their relationship to floral structure.
Key results:
Nocturnal resin midges ( Resseliella , Cecidomyiidae) walk around on the flowers' sexual organs to oviposit, thereby transferring pollen and wounding tissues. The larvae then develop in resin-filled chambers. Male and female floral scents are dominated by α-pinene, while the resinous exudate is dominated by caryophyllene. As revealed by barcoding of multiple midge larvae per flower species, the mutualisms are species specific and appear to have evolved over the past 6-9 million years.
Conclusions:
Resin feeding, not pollen or ovule feeding, by midge larvae explains the abundant Kadsura exudates, highlighting the poorly known world of nocturnal flower-fly interactions.
... And in the treatment of the tonify and invigorate blood, the effect of "Dian Ji Xue Teng" is significantly better (Xu et al., 2022). Due to the similar morphological characteristics, Saunders and Lin treated K. interior as the synonym K. heteroclita, and the Flora of China adopted this treatment, which might led to misuse in folk (Saunders, 1998;Lin, 2002;Xia et al., 2008). The misuse caused by unclear species relationships and delimitation may affect the therapeutic efficacy and even cause safety issues (Wu et al., 2007;Xu et al., 2022). ...
... Several authors have conducted taxonomic revisions on regional or worldwide scales of Kadsura, but the treatment of species delimitation under the genus remains controversial (Smith, 1947;Law, 1996;Saunders, 1998;Lin, 2002). For example, Saunders treated K. interior and K. heteroclita as one species. ...
Most plants of Kadsura have economic value and medicinal application. Among them, K. interior and its closely related species have been demonstrated to have definite efficacy. However, the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationship of Kadsura in terms of morphology and commonly used gene regions remain controversial, which adversely affects its rational application. In this study, a total of 107 individuals of K. interior, K. heteroclita, K. longipedunculata, K. oblongifolia, and K. coccinea were studied from the perspectives of genetic diversity, phylogeny, and ecology via single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) developed through restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq). Based on these SNPs, the genetic diversity, phylogenetic reconstruction, and population genetic structure were analyzed. Subsequently, divergence time estimation and differentiation scenario simulation were performed. Meanwhile, according to the species distribution records and bioclimatic variables, the Last Glacial Maximum and current potential distributions of five species were constructed, and the main ecological factors affecting the distribution of different species were extracted. The FST calculated showed that there was a moderate degree of differentiation among K. heteroclita, K. longipedunculata, and K. oblongifolia, and there was a high degree of genetic differentiation between K. interior and the above species. The phylogenetic tree indicated that each of the species was monophyletic. The results of population genetic structure and divergence scenario simulation and D-statistics showed that there were admixture and gene flow among K. heteroclita, K. longipedunculata, and K. oblongifolia. The results of ecological niche modeling indicated that the distribution areas and the bioclimatic variables affecting the distribution of K. interior and its related species were different. This study explored the differences in the genetic divergence and geographical distribution patterns of K. interior and its related species, clarifying the uniqueness of K. interior compared to its relatives and providing a reference for their rational application in the future.
... The genus Uvaria located in the LBC, is one of the largest paleotropical genera in the family (Zhou and Saunders, 2009), with 190 species of climbing plants or scandal shrubs in the humid tropics of Africa, Madagascar, continental Asia, Malaysia, northern Australia and Melanesia (van Heusden, 1992;Zhou and Saunders, 2009). The generic name Uvaria was first published by Linnaeus in 1753, with the description of two species, U. zeylanica L. and U. japonica L.; the former species is the type of the generic name, while the latter is now recognized as a Kadsura species (Saunders, 1998;Zhou and Saunders, 2009). Synonyms of U. chamae have been described as follows: Unona macrocarpa DC, Uvaria cristata R. Br., Uvaria cylindrica Schumacher. ...
Uvaria chamae P. Beauv is known as a key shrub species providing several goods and services for sustaining livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its great medicinal importance for local communities, little is known about its conservation status and sustainable management strategies regarding the current overexploitation of the species’ fruits through traditional agroforestry systems. Here, we addressed a global systematic review of the current state of knowledge on several aspects of research of U. chamae for setting further breeding programmes and conservation initiatives. A total of 744 publications were identified based on the extensive bibliometric review of its sustainable management and conservation status over the last three decades (1991-2021) through existing online databases. Only 257 publications were finally included in the current review after deep scrutinization which were in line with several aspects of the conservation ecology and management of U. chamae in Africa. All retained papers came globally from the five sub-regions, and particularly 13 countries in Africa. Most of them were recorded in West Africa (n = 245) compared to the other sub-regions where few studies exist on this intensively harvested shrub species. Approximately 89% of the retained publications came from five of West African countries including Nigeria (n = 151), Benin (n = 30), Côte d'Ivoire (n = 18), Guinea (n = 16), and Togo (n = 14). In-depth bibliometric analysis revealed critical knowledge gaps on U. chamae in terms of its geographic distribution; conservation status; tree growth, productivity and propagation; morphological diversity; molecular genetic diversity; reproductive biology; ecophysiological performances; socio-economic importance; biochemical analysis; and structural characterization. The current review paves the way for developing further long-term management programs of U. chamae in Africa.
... Kadsura belongs to the economically and medicinally important family Schisandraceae and eight species mainly distributed in the southwest and southeast in China (Saunders, 1998;Wu et al., 2008). In China, the stems and roots of genus Kadsura are commonly used as folk medicines and 5 species of genus Kadsura are documented in the official Pharmacopoeia and folk record (GuangXi Zhuang Autonomous Region Health Department, 1992;Guangdong Food and Drug Administration, 2004;FuJian Food and Drug Administration, 2006;Chinese Pharmacopeia Commission, 2015). ...
The stems and roots of Kadsura species have been used as the folk medicine in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and have good traditional efficacy and medicinal application with a long history. Among these species, K. coccinea, K. heteroclita and K. longipedunculata are the most widely distributed species in the regions of south and southwest China. Owing to their similar appearance, the crude drugs are often confusedly used by some folk doctors, even some pharmaceutical factories. To discriminate the crude drugs, haplotype analysis based on cpDNA markers and ITS was firstly employed in this study. Generic delimitation, interspecific interrelationships, and the identification of medicinal materials between K. longipedunculata and K. heteroclita remained unresolved by the existing molecular fragments. The original plant could be identified through the morphological character of flower, fruit and leaf. However, in most situation collectors have no chance to find out these characters due to lack of reproductive organs, and have no experience with the minor difference and transitional variation of leaf morphology. The chemical characterization show that the chemometric of chemical composition owned higher resolution to discriminate three herbs of Kadsura species. In conclusion, this integrative approach involving molecular phylogeny, morphology and chemical characterization could be applied for authentication of the Kadusra. Our study suggests the use of this comprehensive approach for accurate characterization of this closely related taxa as well as identifying the source plant and confused herbs of TCM.
... The most diverse ANITA family, the Schisandraceae, has at least 91 species and is thought to be mostly fly-pollinated, with some studies invoking pollen feeding as the reward ( [21,[23][24][25][26], but see [27]). The family comprises three genera, Illicium (49 species), Kadsura (15-20 species [28]) and Schisandra (27-29 species [29]), with the last two consisting of woody vines in tropical and subtropical Asia, except for two species that occur in temperate China (S. chinensis) and North America (S. glabra). ...
Insect pollination in basal angiosperms is assumed to mostly involve 'generalized' insects looking for food, but direct observations of ANITA grade (283 species) pollinators are sparse. We present new data for numerous Schisandraceae, the largest ANITA family, from fieldwork, nocturnal filming, electron microscopy, barcoding and molecular clocks to infer pollinator/plant interactions over multiple years at sites throughout China to test the extent of pollinator specificity. Schisandraceae are pollinated by nocturnal gall midges that lay eggs in the flowers and whose larvae then feed on floral exudates. At least three Schisandraceae have shifted to beetle pollination. Pollination by a single midge species predominates, but one species was pollinated by different species at three locations and one by two at the same location. Based on molecular clocks, gall midges and Schisandraceae may have interacted since at least the Early Miocene. Combining these findings with a review of all published ANITA pollination data shows that ovipositing flies are the most common pollinators of living representatives of the ANITA grade. Compared to food reward-based pollination, oviposition-based systems are less wasteful of plant gametes because (i) none are eaten and (ii) female insects with herbivorous larvae reliably visit conspecific flowers.
Kadsura coccinea belongs to medicinally important genus Kadsura from the Schisandraceae family. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and gastroenteric disorders. The initial phytochemical work focused on the identification of some structurally novel and diverse natural products, which turned the attention of many researchers towards this plant. Thus far, 202 compounds have been reported in this plant. Lignans and terpenoids were found as the main chemical constituents of this plant. Some of the triterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids with novel structures are of particular interest for natural product researchers. The isolated compounds of this plant have shown different bioactivities including anti-tumor, anti-HIV, anti-inflammatory, nitric oxide (NO) production inhibitory and other pharmacological effects. This review systematically summarizes all the phytochemical and pharmacological work done so far on K. coccinea, and can be used as a reference for future research on this plant.
The embryology of basal angiosperm lineages ( Amborella , Nymphaeales and Austrobaileyales) is central to reconstructing the early evolution of flowering plants. Previous studies have shown that mature seeds in Austrobaileyales are albuminous, with a small embryo surrounded by a substantial diploid endosperm. However, little is known of seed ontogeny and seedling germination in Austrobaileya scandens , sister to all other extant Austrobaileyales.
Standard histochemical techniques were used to study ovule/seed development and germination of Austrobaileya .
Early development of the endosperm in Austrobaileya is ab initio cellular with pronounced cell proliferation. The nucellus transiently accumulates some starch, but is obliterated by expansion of a massive endosperm, where all embryo‐nourishing reserves are ultimately stored. Twelve months elapse from fertilization to fruit abscission. Seeds are dispersed with a minute embryo, requiring 12 additional months for seedling establishment.
The 2 yr required for seedling establishment is an apomorphic feature of Austrobaileya , probably related to germination in extremely dark understory conditions. Remarkably, although Austrobaileya seeds are nearly 50 times larger (by length) than the smallest seeds of extinct and extant members of early divergent angiosperm lineages, the embryo to seed ratio (E : S) falls squarely within the narrow range that characterizes the albuminous seeds of ancient flowering plant lineages.
Northwest Bohemia (Czechoslovakia) and the Weisselster Basin (Germany) yield macrofloral evidence of late Eocene and early Oligocene forest vegetation. This changes from dominantly evergreen subtropical (late Eocene) to mixed evergreen and deciduous with a warm but seasonal climate (early Oligocene). Palynological evidence from these areas and also from Belgium, the Paris Basin (France) and southern England indicates that the transition is marked by incoming of temperate elements, loss of tropical and subtropical elements and an increase in conifer pollen. In the context of the extensive sequence of Paleogene macrofloras in southern England the changes described here at the Eocene/Oligocene boundary in Europe are seen as the culmination of floristic change, resulting from cooling climate, which began in the early late Eocene. Palynological evidence from southern England, the Paris Basin and the Massif Armoricain supports this conclusion. -from Author
Three new dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans, named acetyl (1)-, angeloyl (2)- and caproylbinankadsurin A (3), were isolated from the fruits of Kadsura japonica DUNAL (Schizandraceae). Their absolute structures were elucidated by chemical and spectral studies.