Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales Family: Lentibulariacea
Common name: Golden or leafy bladderwort
Distribution: India, Japan, China, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Australia
Habitat: Shallow, deep, stagnant or slow-moving freshwaters, ditches, ponds, lakes
Description: It is a partially submersed, insectivorous aquatic plant growing
to only less than 50 cm. The simple, sessile, and inely divided leaves are
alternate and are spirally coiled along the rounded stem. The axillary or
terminal racemose lowers are yellow and bisexual.
Compounds and activities: The bioactive compound fucoidan (a sulfated poly-
saccharide) of this species possesses antitumor and anticoagulant proper-
ties. A quantity of 500 µg/ml of fucoidan was found to inhibit the growth
of the epidermoid carcinoma cell and ibroblast cell at 84 and 55%, respec-
tively (Choosawad et al., 2005). The crude fucoidan showed the activated
partial thromboplastin time (APTT) at 4.89 ± 0.92 IU/mg.
ROTULA AQUATICA
LOUR
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Tubilorae
Family: Boraginaceae
Common name: Aquatic rotula
Distribution: India, China
Habitat: Rock crevices in streambeds
Description: This rare rheophyte is an aromatic shrub (2.5 m height) that has
small branches. Leaves (1.5 cm long) are alternate, overlapping, and ovate
or oblong. Flowers are small (6 mm long), crowded, and borne in clusters.
Each lower is 6 mm long with ive purple or pink petals. The fruit (4 mm
diameter) is leshy and rounded.
Compounds and activities: The alcoholic and aqueous extracts of roots of this
species contain bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, lavonoids, phe-
nolic compounds, and steroids. Another investigation on the root extracts
of this species showed the presence of allantoin and rhabdiol (sterol) as
