Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Common name: Clasping leaf pond weed, rock head grass
Distribution: Central and North America, Ireland, Europe, Asia, Australia
Habitat: Lakes, ditches, slow-lowing rivers, streams, brackish waters
Description: This is a common pond weed species, in which all leaves
(8 cm long) are submersed, oval, and translucent. The inlorescence is with
6-15 lowers and fruits are olive-green.
Compounds and activities: The ethanolic extracts of this plant species pos-
sess lavones and ent-labdanes, which have antiprotozoal and antipyretic
activities. The extract displays appreciable trypanocidal activity against
Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense.
It also possesses leishmanicidal poten-
tial (Orhan et al., 2006).
PHRAGMITES AUSTRALIS
(CAV.) TRIN. EX. STEUD
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Cyperales
Family: Poaceae
Common name: Common reed
Distribution: Cosmopolitan in distribution
Habitat: Wetlands, ponds, shallow waters
Description: This is a perennial subshrub or shrub growing to 4 m. The stem is
erect with green foliage and white lowers, which are hermaphroditic. The
rhizostomatous growth is seen in this species.
Compounds and activities: From the extracts of this species, seven lavonoid
glycosides, one lavonone, seven simple phenolic compounds, and two sim-
ple nitrogen heterocyclic compounds have been isolated. All these com-
pounds have shown antimalarial activities through their toxic and repellent
activity of larvae and adults of mosquito
Culex pipiens
, thereby controlling
the diseases caused by mosquito-borne pathogens. The ethanol extracts of
leaves of this species were found to be most effective (LC
50
98.72), fol-
lowed by its stems (LC
50
619.52). The petroleum extracts of this species,
however, showed LC
50
values of 60.06 (leaves) and 16.13 (stem). Further,
the petroleum ether extract of the leaves showed 100% repellency at a dose
