Purshia mexicana is a species of perennial flowering small tree in the rose family known by the common name Mexican cliffrose. It is native to western-northern Mexico, the region of the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera.
| Purshia mexicana | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Purshia |
| Species: | P. mexicana
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| Binomial name | |
| Purshia mexicana | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Cowania mexicana D.Don | |
Purshia stansburyana, native to the southwestern United States, has sometimes been included within P. mexicana.[2]
In its mostly mountainous, or higher elevation habitat, it grows in woodlands, desert, and plateau habitat.
Stenophyllanin A, a tannin, can be found in P. mexicana.[3]
Distribution
editThe range of Mexican cliffrose is from the western Mexican Plateau in the south, and the southern Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera north to a small region of northwest Sonora;[2] it has a continuous range in the cordillera from Chihuahua south through Durango and Zacatecas, all mostly north of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, though a few scattered locales do occur in the belt.[2]
Uses
editThe plant is browsed by deer, cattle, and sheep, and is particularly important to these species during the winter.[4]
Native Americans made ropes and clothing from the bark, and fashioned arrow shafts from the stems.[4]
References
edit- ^ The International Plant Names Index, retrieved 19 June 2016
- ^ a b c Little Jr., Elbert L. (1976). "Map 55, Cowania mexicana". Atlas of United States Trees. Vol. 3 (Minor Western Hardwoods). US Government Printing Office. LCCN 79-653298. OCLC 4053799.
- ^ Ito H, Miyake M, Nishitani E, Mori K, Hatano T, Okuda T, Konoshima T, Takasaki M, Kozuka M, Mukainaka T, Tokuda H, Nishino H, Yoshida T (August 1999). "Anti-tumor promoting activity of polyphenols from Cowania mexicana and Coleogyne ramosissima". Cancer Lett. 143 (1): 5–13. doi:10.1016/S0304-3835(99)00160-3. PMID 10465331.
- ^ a b Whitney, Stephen (1985). Western Forests (The Audubon Society Nature Guides). New York: Knopf. p. 396. ISBN 0-394-73127-1.
Further reading
edit- Cronquist, A.; Holmgren, N.H.; Holmgren, P.K.; Cronquist, A. (1997). Subclass Rosidae (except Fabales). Intermountain flora: Vascular plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. Vol. 3A. The New York Botanical Garden. ISBN 0893273740.
External links
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