Xylopia discreta

Xylopia discreta is a species of plant in the Annonaceae family. It is native to Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.^[3] Carl Linnaeus the Younger, the botanist who first formally described the species using the basionym Unona discreta, named it after its purple, aromatic fruit which set it apart (discretus in Latin) from other members of the family.^[4][5][6]

Xylopia discreta
Fruit of Xylopia discreta[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Magnoliales
Family:	Annonaceae
Genus:	Xylopia
Species:	X. discreta
Binomial name
Xylopia discreta (L.f.) Sprague & Hutch.
Synonyms
Habzelia discreta (L.f.) A.DC. Unona discreta L.f. Uvaria unona Forsyth f. Xylopia salicifolia Kunth

Description

It is a tree reaching 22 meters in height. Its young branches are silky, narrow, and pliable. The lance-shaped, hairless, papery leaves are in two rows, alternate. Its petioles very short. The flower pedicels are clustered in umbels. The fruit are purple and aromatic.^[5][7]

Reproductive biology

The pollen of Xylopia discreta is shed as permanent tetrads.^[8]

Distribution and habitat

It has been observed growing in forests.^[2]

Uses

Bioactive compounds extracted from its leaves and seeds have been reported to have antileishmanial activity in laboratory tests.^[7]