Ryania speciosa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ryania speciosa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In Peru | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Salicaceae |
| Genus: | Ryania |
| Species: | R. speciosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Ryania speciosa M.Vahl | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Tetracocyne angustifolia Turcz. | |
Ryania speciosa[2][3] is a species of flowering plant in the family Salicaceae.[4][5]
The species is significant partly because the alkaloid ryanodine was originally isolated from this South American tree.[6]
The tree was used by indigenous people to kill fish and other animals.[7][8] The insecticidal activity of the plant was discovered in the early 1940s by a collaborative search by scientists from Merck and Rutgers university.[9][10] The tree and its partially purified extracts were used as an insecticide in organic farming since the 1940s, but was removed from the market in 1997.[11] A major active ingredient is ryanodine, but other compounds also contribute to the insecticidal activity of the plant.[12]
