Botanical characterization of Petiveria alliacea L. from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Systematic and functional implications

Abstract

Petiveria alliacea L. (Phytolaccaceae) is represented by herbaceous plants with a subshrub habit and a strong odor of garlic. This species has traditionally been used in folk medicine because of its various pharmacological activities. However, the production of medicinal plants is hampered by misidentification, and different plant populations are subject to environmental variables that can alter quantitatively or qualitatively the production of secondary metabolites. Therefore, plant biotechnology is a useful tool for the production of certified plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate phytochemical traits and botanical characteristics of different populations of this species occurring in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in order to identify mother plants for biotechnological production. In the present study, plants of P. alliacea were collected from four areas in Rio de Janeiro and identified as P. alliacea based on morphological characteristics of leaves, inflorescences, flowers, and fruits, as well as the herbaceous structure and alliaceous odor. The samples could be separated into varieties based on morphological characteristics of the ovary; specimens from three areas were classified as P. alliacea var. alliacea, and specimens from another area were classified as P. alliacea var. tetrandra. The thin-layer chromatography analyses of aqueous extracts showed differences in the production of flavonoids among these populations.

Keywords:

• Cariophyllales
• medicinal plant
• morphology
• interpopulation diversity
• flavonoids
• thin-layer chromatography

Acknowledgments

This work was sponsored by Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Brazil).