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Boophone
Genus of plants From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Boophone is a small genus of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous plants in the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae.[2]) It consists of two confirmed species distributed across South Africa to Kenya and Uganda. It is closely related to Crossyne, a genus whose species have prostrate leaves.[3] They are drought tolerant but not cold-hardy, and are very poisonous to livestock.

Boophone disticha flowerhead with caterpillars of the Noctuid moth Diaphone eumela
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Taxonomy
Boophone is the single genus in subtribe Boophoninae, in the Amaryllideae tribe.
Phylogeny
Boophoninae are placed within Amaryllideae as follows, based on their phylogenetic relationship:[citation needed]
Tribe Amaryllideae |
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Species
The list of Boophone species, with their complete scientific name, authority, and geographic distribution is given below.[4]
Etymology
William Herbert wrote the name of this genus with three different orthographies: "Boophane" in 1821; "Buphane" and "Buphone" in 1825. This final spelling was corrected to "Boophone" in 1839 by Milne-Redhead. The name was derived from the Greek bous (an ox) and phone (death), due to its toxic nature to cattle. A proposal was published in 2001 to conserve the name "Boophone" and to take the earlier ones as synonyms.[7] This proposal was accepted in 2002.[8]
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Associated insects
Larvae of the moth genera Brithys and Diaphone use Boophone as a food plant.
Traditional medicine
Boophone disticha is used in South African traditional medicine by the Zulu people to induce hallucinations for divinatory purposes, and also for various mental illnesses.[9] Its use, however, is limited by injuries that result from the plant's toxicity.[10] They have also been used as ingredients in traditional arrow poisons, and medicinal dressings for skin lesions.[11]
Chemistry
A variety of alkaloids with affinity for the serotonin transporter have been isolated from Boophone disticha.[12][13]
References
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