Skyflower (Duranta erecta) is plant species in Verbenaceae, a broad shrub or small tree, up to 6 m high, stems growing upright or horizontally with broad clumps, many branches, bark light brown, old tree has axillary spines and grows to form dense colonies.
D. erecta has bright green leaves, elliptical to ovoid, pointed or rounded ends, sitting opposite, 7.5 cm long, 3.5 cm wide, a main vein in the middle with several small lateral veins, petiole long 1.5 cm.
Flowers are light blue or lavender or white, appear in tight clusters as on terminal stems and axils, often curled or pendulous, blooms in summer.
The fruit is a berry having a stalk, small round, yellow or orange or white in color, up to 11 mm in diameter, an eye green in front and containing several seeds.
Skyflower grows in dry or humid areas and lots of sun, rocky or sandy beaches, forests, farmland and disturbed places. Plants will grow at a rate of up to half a meter per year.
The plant can generally be found in disturbed areas, dry to damp, along roadsides and in shrubs, at elevations of 150-1650 meters. Grows best in full sun but tolerant of partial shade, rainfall 800-1800 mm/year. Likes moist, fertile and well-drained soil. Tolerant of acid to alkaline soils and salt tolerant.
Plant contain glucosides, saponins, durantosides I, II, III, IV, and V, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, (E)-cinnamic acid, beta-sitosteril-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosida, (E)- p-methoxycinnamic acid, kusaginin, alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, triterpenoids, tannins, phenols, anthocyanins, oxalates, rutin, epicatechin , lunamarine, saponins, sapogenins, ribalinidine, phytate, kaempferol, catechins, duranterectosides A, B, C, and D, lamiide, lamiidoside, verbascoside.
This plant used to treat itchy skin, fever, boils, malaria, infertility, pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis, cataracts, improve blood circulation. Has activity as a diuretic, anthelmintic, antioxidant and antibacterial.
TAXON
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Verbenaceae
Tribe: Duranteae
Genus: Duranta L. in Sp. Pl.: 637 (1753)
Species: Duranta erecta L. in Sp. Pl.: 637 (1753)
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS
Duranta angustifolia Salisb. in Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 108 (1796)
Duranta baumgartenii K.Koch in Wochenschr. Vereines Beförd. Gartenbaues Königl. Preuss. Staaten 6: 47 (1862)
Duranta baumgartenii K.Koch in Wochenschr. Vereines Beförd. Gartenbaues Königl. Preuss. Staaten 5: 47 (1862)
Duranta baumgartii Hibberd in Gard. Chron., n.s., 3: 730 (1875)
Duranta brachypoda Tod. in Nuov. Gen. Sp.: 24 (1860)
Duranta dentata Pers. in Syn. Pl. 2: 142 (1806)
Duranta ellisia Jacq. in Enum. Syst. Pl.: 26 (1760)
Duranta erecta var. alba (Mast.) Caro in Revista Argent. Agron. 23: 11 (1956)
Duranta erecta var. grandiflora (Moldenke) Caro (1956)
Duranta inermis L. (1753)
Duranta integrifolia Tod. (1860)
Duranta latifolia Salisb. (1796)
Duranta macrodonta Moldenke in Phytologia 2: 16 (1941)
Duranta microphylla Desf. in Tabl. École Bot., ed. 3: 392 (1829)
Duranta plumieri Jacq. in Select. Stirp. Amer. Hist.: 186 (1763)
Duranta plumieri var. alba Mast. in Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 3: 44 (1888)
Duranta plumieri var. ellisia (Jacq.) F.M.Bailey in Weeds Susp. Poison. Pl. Queensland: 142 (1906)
Duranta plumieri var. glabra Hieron. ex Niederl. in Bol. Mens. Mus. Prod. Argent. 3(31): 322 (1890)
Duranta plumieri var. normalis F.M.Bailey in Compr. Cat. Queensland Pl., ed. 2: 382 (1913)
Duranta plumieri var. strigillosa Schauer in C.F.P.von Martius & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Bras. 9: 271 (1851)
Duranta plumieri f. variegata F.M.Bailey (1913)
Duranta racemosa Mill. in Gard. Dict., ed. 8.: n.° 2 (1768)
Duranta repens L. (1753)
Duranta repens f. acuminata Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 507 (1891)
Duranta repens f. acuta (L.) Kuntze (1891)
Duranta repens f. alba (Mast.) Matuda in Amer. Midl. Naturalist 44: 576 (1950)
Duranta repens var. alba (Mast.) L.H.Bailey in Cycl. Amer. Hort. 1: 225 (1900)
Duranta repens var. ellisia (Jacq.) Domin in Biblioth. Bot. 22(89): 553 (1928)
Duranta repens f. glabrifolia Kuntze (1891)
Duranta repens var. grandiflora Moldenke (1941)
Duranta repens f. grandiflora (Moldenke) Moldenke in Phytologia 44: 328 (1979)
Duranta repens f. integrifolia (Tod.) Moldenke (1979)
Duranta repens var. microphylla (Desf.) Moldenke in Phytologia 1: 483 (1941)
Duranta repens f. microphylla (Desf.) Moldenke (1979)
Duranta repens var. multidentata Kuntze (1891)
Duranta repens var. mutisii Kuntze (1891)
Duranta repens var. normalis (F.M.Bailey) Domin (1928)
Duranta repens f. obtusifolia Kuntze (1891)
Duranta repens var. paucidentata Kuntze (1891)
Duranta repens var. serrata Moldenke in Phytologia 7: 81 (1959)
Duranta repens f. serrata (Moldenke) Moldenke (1979)
Duranta repens var. variegata L.H.Bailey in Man. Cult. Pl.: 632 (1924)
Duranta repens f. variegata (F.M.Bailey) Domin (1928)
Duranta repens f. variegata (L.H.Bailey) Moldenke (1979)
Duranta repens f. vestita Kuntze (1891)
Duranta rostrata Pasq. in Rendiconto Reale Accad. Sci. Fis. 7: 17 (1868)
Duranta serratifolia var. variegata Moldenke (1974)
Duranta spinosa Mill. (1768)
Duranta turbinata Tod. (1860)
Ellisia acuta L. in Amoen. Acad. 5: 400 (1760)
PUBLICATIONS
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Darbyshire, I., Kordofani, M., Farag, I., Candiga, R. & Pickering, H. (eds.) (2015). The Plants of Sudan and South Sudan: 1-400. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Davidse, G. & al. (eds.) (2012). Flora Mesoamericana 4(2): 1-533. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F.
Deng, Y.F., Li, Z.Y., Wang, Q. & Peng, H. (2020). Flora of Pan-Himalaya 46: 1-570. Science Press, Beijing. Cambridge University Press.
Fernandes, R. & Diniz, M.A. (2005). Avicenniaceae, Nesogenaceae, Verbenaceae and Lamiaceae (subfams, Viticoideae and Ajugoideae). Flora Zambesiaca 8(7): 1-161. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Fernandes, R.B. (2006). Contribução para o conhecimento das Avicenniaceae e Verbenaceae da Flora de Angola. Garcia de Orta, Série de Botânica 17(2): 5-68.
Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola. Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
Figueiredo, E., Paiva, J., Stévart, T., Oliveira, F. & Smith, G.F. (2011). Annotated catalogue of the flowering plants of São Tomé and Príncipe. Bothalia 41: 41-82.
Fischer, E., Rembold, K., Althof, A. & Obholzer, J. (2010). Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Kakamega forest, Western province, Kenya. Journal of East African Natural History 99: 129-226.
Garcia-Mendoza, A.J. & Meave, J.A. (eds.) (2012). Diversidad florística de Oaxaca: de musgos a angiospermas (colecciones y listas de especies), ed. 2: 1-351. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Gosline, G., Bidault, E., van der Burgt, X., Cahen, D., Challen, G., Condé, N., Couch, C., Couvreur, T.L.P., Dagallier, L.M.J., Darbyshire, I., Dawson, S., Doré, T.S., Goyder, D., Grall, A., Haba, P., Haba, P., Harris, D., Hind, D.J.N., Jongkind, & al. (2023). A Taxonomically-verified and Vouchered Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Republic of Guinea. Nature, scientific data 10, Article number: 327: [1]-[12].
Govaerts, R. (2003). World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Database in ACCESS: 1-216203. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Hedberg, I., Kelbessa, E., Edwards, S., Demissew, S. & Persson, E. (eds.) (2006). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 5: 1-690. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.
Idárraga-Piedrahita, A., Ortiz, R.D.C., Callejas Posada, R. & Merello, M. (eds.) (2011). Flora de Antioquia: Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares 2: 1-939. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín.
Ilunga wa Ilunga, E. & Meerts, P. (2024). Flore d'Afrique Centrale (Zaïre - Rwanda - Burundi), n.s., Verbenaceae: 1-57. Jardin Botanique National de Belgique, Meise.
Karthigeyan, K., Pandey, R.P. & Mao, A.A. (eds.) (2023). Flora of Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2: 1-689. Botanical Survey of India. Ministry of environment, forest and climate change.
Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.
Rajbhandari, K.R., Rai, S.K. & Chhetri, R. (2022). A Handbook of the Flowering Plants of Nepal 4: 1-522. Department of Plant Resources, Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Smith, A.C. (1991). Flora Vitiensis Nova. A new flora for Fiji (Spermatophytes only) 5: 1-626. Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai.
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Sosef, M.S.M. & al. (eds.) (2022). Flore du Gabon 58: 1-150. Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Paris; Margraf Publishers, Weikersheim; Meise Botanic Garden.
Villaseñor, J.L. (2016). Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87: 559-902.
Welsh, S.L. (1998). Flora Societensis: 1-420. E.P.S. Inc. Utah.
de Lange, P.J., Gardner, R.O., Sykes, W.R., Crowcroft, G.M., Cameron,
E.K., Stalker, F., Christian, M.L. & Braggins, J.E. (2005). Vascular flora of Norfolk Island: some additions and taxonomic notes. New Zealand Journal of Botany 43: 563-596.
VERNACULAR NAME
Afrikaans: Vergeet-my-nie-boom
Arabic: توت الحمام - شجرة لا تنساني
Brazil: Pingo-de-Ouro
Chinese (Simplified): 假连翘 -金露花
Chinese (Traditional): 假連翹 - 假連翹 金露花 - 小本苦林盤 - 臺灣連翹 - 苦樂槃
Czech: Duranta vzpřímená
Dutch: Stoute jongens
English: Skyflower, Forget-Me-Not-Tree, Pigeon Berry, Golden dewdrop
Finnish: Kultakastepensas
French: Vanillier de Cayenne
Guangdong: 假連翹 - 金露花
Hebrew: דורנטה זקופה - דורנטה מצויה
Hindi: नीलकंठ Nilkanta
Hong Kong: 假連翹 - 金露花
Indonesian: Sinyo nakal
Japanese: タイワンレンギョウ - 台湾連翹
Java: Teh-tehan
Kannada: Duranta kanti, Hucchelasi, Husi elasi
Korean: 하늘꽃
Macao: 假連翹 - 金露花
Malayalam: Duranta
Manipuri: Nongban-lei, Samballei
Melayu: Pokok janda gedik, Anak nakal
Mizo: Hlingdai
Nepali: नील काण्डा Neel Kaandaa
New Zealand: Golden dewdrop
Polish: Duranta wzniesiona
Portuguese: Pingo-de-Ouro, Violeteira
Russian: Дуранта ползучая - Дуранта прямостоячая
Slovak: Duranta vzpriamená
Spanish: Coralillo, Garbancillo, Ramo de novia, Tala blanco
Swedish: Duvbär
Taiwan: 金露花
Thai: เทียนหยด
Tswana: Mogakabanna
Turkish: Ağaç menekşesi
Aryo Bandoro
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