Caralluma
| Caralluma | |
|---|---|
| Caralluma adscendens flower | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Apocynaceae |
| Subfamily: | Asclepiadoideae |
| Tribe: | Ceropegieae |
| Genus: | Caralluma R.Br. |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Caralluma is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, consisting of about 30 species.
In 1795 William Roxburgh published the name Stapelia adscendens for a plant found in India. He commented that the name for the plant in the Telugu language was Car-allum and that the succulent branches are edible raw, though bitter and salty.[2] The name Caralluma was coined by Robert Brown for a new genus in an article published in 1811. At the time he only described one species in the genus, the plant that he renamed Caralluma adscendens.[3]
In 1996 Helmut Genaust published the suggestion that it was sensible to conclude that the generic name is derived from the Arabic phrase qahr al-luhum, meaning "wound in the flesh" or "abscess," referring to the floral odour. Genaust was unaware that the genus Caralluma existed east of Palestine. He specifically ruled out its existence in India, where it was first described and named. Genaust presumed that the name would have first been applied to Caralluma europaea (now called Apteranthes europaea) in North Africa.[4] In 2012, the editors of the Caralluma entry for the Flora Iberica addressed this suggested Arabic etymology: "... however, among the numerous common names for these plants in the Arab world, we have not found one that even comes close".[5]
Species from the genus Caralluma occur in tropical Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.[6] Several taxa are valued by people as food and for their medicinal properties.[7]
Accepted Species
As of July 2025, POWO accepts the following species:[6]
- Caralluma adscendens
- Caralluma arachnoidea
- Caralluma attenuata
- Caralluma baradii
- Caralluma bhupinderiana
- Caralluma congestiflora
- Caralluma dalzielii
- Caralluma darfurensis
- Caralluma dicapuae
- Caralluma edwardsiae
- Caralluma fimbriata
- Caralluma flavovirens
- Caralluma furta
- Caralluma geniculata
- Caralluma gracilipes
- Caralluma lamellosa
- Caralluma longiflora
- Caralluma moniliformis
- Caralluma moorei
- Caralluma mouretii
- Caralluma peckii
- Caralluma petraea
- Caralluma plicatiloba
- Caralluma priogonium
- Caralluma sarkariae
- Caralluma stalagmifera
- Caralluma subulata
- Caralluma turneri
- Caralluma vaduliae
- Caralluma wilhelmii
Formerly placed here
Source:[6]
- Apteranthes spp.
- Australluma spp.
- Boucerosia, including Boucerosia frerei previously Frerea indica.
- Caudanthera spp.
- Desmidorchis spp.
- Duvaliandra
- Echidnopsis spp.
- Monolluma spp.
- Notechidnopsis
- Orbea spp.
- Pectinaria spp.
- Piaranthus spp.
- Pseudolithos spp.
- Quaqua spp.
- Rhytidocaulon spp.
- Stapelia spp.
- Tromotriche spp.
- White-sloanea
References
- ^ "Genus: Caralluma R. Br". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2004-04-15. Archived from the original on 2012-10-09. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
- ^ Roxburgh, William (1795). Plants of the Coast of Coromandel Volume I. Vol. v.1. George Nicol, Pall-Mall, London. pp. 28–29. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
- ^ Brown, Robert (1811). "On the Asclepiadeæ". Memoirs of the Wernerian Natural History Society. I: 12–78. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
- ^ Genaust, Helmut (1996). Etymologisches Wörterbuch der botanischen Pflanzennamen. Birkhäuser. ISBN 3764323906.
- ^ Ortiz Ballesteros, Pedro Luis; Arista Palmero, Montserrat (2012). "Caralluma". Flora Iberica Volumen XI Gentianaceae - Boraginaceae (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC. pp. 126–129. ISBN 978-84-00-09415-7. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
... sin embargo, entre los numerosos nombres vulgares de estas plantas en el mundo árabe, no hemos encontrado ninguno que ni siquiera se le aproxime]
- ^ a b c "Caralluma R.Br. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
- ^ Pattock (2026). Unfinished Notes On The Useful Asclepiads Volume 1: Plant Uses. Manchester: Pat's Flower Press. pp. 56–64. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
External links