Abstract
Ipomoea muricata Jacq. (Calonyction muricatum G. Don) has now been confirmed as the biological origin of the Ipomoea seed mentioned in a previous communication1. Seeds of Indian origin (obtained by courtesy of Dr O. Fervidi, Simes Servizi Scientifici, Milan), identical to those from Pakistan, showed on germination in Beirut the typical shape and size of the cotyledonary and first leaves of Ipomoea muricata Jacq. described by Kassner2. The identity was further confirmed by the characteristically tubercled stem3 and the aristate sepals4. Kaladana seeds, obtained from Pakistan (Gohar and Co., Karachi) in 1965 and 1967, differed from the original seeds (and those from India) in being hairy and greyish-black but otherwise identical to the original seeds in size and shape. All the seeds, however, had identical alkaloid chromatograms. A few of the 1967 seeds were grown in Lafayette, in 1968 (by courtesy of Dr J. E. Robbers, Purdue University, Lafayette). Seeds obtained from these plants and grown in Beirut produced plants identical to those obtained from the Indian seeds. Strangely enough, the seeds obtained from Lafayette were devoid of alkaloids. In this connexion it is interesting to note that Der Marderossian5 reports no indole alkaloids from “I. Muricata”. Besides lysergol and chanoclavine-I, reported1 as present in Kaladana seed, other alkaloids were also found but in much smaller amounts6.
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References
Abou-Chaar, C. I., and Digenis, G. A., Nature, 212, 618 (1966).
Kassner, H. C., Pharm. J., 112, 232 (1924).
Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J. M., and Hepper, F. N., Flora of West Tropical Africa, 2, 347 (London, 1963).
Chopra, R. N., Badhwar, R. L., and Ghosh, S., Poisonous Plants of India, second ed., 1, 601 (ICAR, New Delhi, 1965).
Der Marderossian, A. H., Econ. Bot., 18, 67 (1964).
Abou-Chaar, C. I., Leban. Pharm. J., 9, 93 (1966–67).
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ABOU-CHAAR, C. Alkaloids of an Ipomoea Seed known as Kaladana in Pakistan. Nature 225, 663 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1038/225663a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/225663a0
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