Helicteres baruensis, or the tornillo de Venezuela ("Venezuelan screw")[1] is a species of plant belonging to the family Malvaceae.
| Helicteres baruensis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Helicteres |
| Species: | H. baruensis
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| Binomial name | |
| Helicteres baruensis | |
Description
editIt is a shrub that reaches a size of 2 metres (7 ft) in height. Leaves ovate, sometimes asymmetric, 9–16 centimetres (4–6 in) long and 6–10 centimetres (2–4 in) wide, apex acute, base cordate; petiole 1–3 centimetres (0.4–1 in) long. Flowers zygomorphic, oblique, with shiny nectaries on the peduncle; calyx tubular-bell-shaped, 2.5–3 centimetres (0.98–1.2 in) long and 1 centimetre (0.4 in) wide, bilabiate; petals ribbon-like, greenish; androgynophore curved, 8–11 centimetres (3–4 in) long, tomentose. Capsule spiraled, sometimes straight towards the apex, 2.3–4 centimetres (0.9–2 in) long and 1–1.3 centimetres (0.4–0.5 in) wide, grayish.[2]
Distribution and habitat
editIt is native to the West Indies, where it grows in warm climates, from sea level to 30 metres (100 ft) in altitude, associated with tropical deciduous and subdeciduous forests.
Properties
editIn Quintana Roo of Mexico, it is used for respiratory ailments, such as cough and asthma.[3]
Taxonomy
edit'Helicteres baruensis' was described by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin and published in Enumeratio Systematica Plantarum, quas in insulis Caribaeis 30. 1760.[2]
- Synonymy
- Helicteres altheifolia Benth.
- Helicteres mollis C.Presl[4]
References
edit- ^ Colmeiro, Miguel: "Dictionary of the various common names of many usual or notable plants of the old and new world", Madrid, 1871.
- ^ a b "Helicteres baruensis". Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "In Traditional Mexican Medicine". Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "Helicteres baruensis". The Plant List. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
