Gnetum is a genus of gymnosperms, the sole genus in the family Gnetaceae within the Gnetophyta. They are tropicalevergreentrees, shrubs and lianas. Unlike other gymnosperms, they possess vessel elements in the xylem. Some species have been proposed to have been the first plants to be insect-pollinated as their fossils occur in association with extinct pollinating scorpionflies.[2] Molecular phylogenies based on nuclear and plastid sequences from most of the species indicate hybridization among some of the Southeast Asian species. Fossil-calibrated molecular-clocks suggest that the Gnetum lineages now found in Africa, South America and Southeast Asia are the result of ancient long-distance dispersal across seawater.[3][4]
Their leaves are rich in bioactive[clarification needed] compounds such as flavonoids and stilbenes.[citation needed] Of the species studied so far, Gnetum have photosynthetic and transpiration capacities which are considerably lower than those of other seed plants, due to the absence of multiple chloroplast genes essential for photosynthesis, a trait they seem to share with the other living members of Gnetophyta, Ephedra and Welwitschia, as well as conifers.[5] There are over 50 different species of Gnetum.[citation needed]
Gnetum microcarpum - Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra
Gnetum neglectum - Borneo
Gnetum oxycarpum - Sumatra
Gnetum parvifolium - Laos, Vietnam, southern China
Gnetum raya - Borneo
Gnetum ridleyi - Peninsular Malaysia
Uses
Many Gnetum species are edible, with the seeds being roasted, and the foliage used as a leaf vegetable.[9] The plant is harvested and yields a useful fiber.[clarification needed] There is no sense of danger in consuming the fruit or the seeds.[10]
There is also a study done on the plant to see if it has any medicinal properties, finding some anti-coagulation effects due to its stilbenoid content. The family Gnetaceae is well known as a rich source of plant-derived stilbenoids as well as Cyperaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Fabaceae, and Vitaceae.[11]
Conservation
Some species of Gnetum are in danger of dying out. The habitats are being removed with the trees being cut down to create industry. The tropical rainforest are being destroyed so many of the species are going extinct such as Gnetum oxycarpum. The rainforests are being torn down and being turned into farmland. Gnetum live in only a small part of the rainforest.
^Ren D, Labandeira CC, Santiago-Blay JA, Rasnitsyn A, Shih CK, Bashkuev A, Logan MA, Hotton CL, Dilcher D. (2009). Probable Pollination Mode Before Angiosperms: Eurasian, Long-Proboscid Scorpionflies. Science, 326 (5954), 840-847. doi:10.1126/science.1178338
^Won H, Renner SS: The internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosomal DNA in the gymnosperm Gnetum. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 2005, 36:581-597. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.03.011
^Won, H., and S. S. Renner. 2006. Dating dispersal and radiation in the gymnosperm Gnetum (Gnetales) – clock calibration when outgroup relationships are uncertain. Systematic Biology 55(4): 610-622. doi:10.1080/10635150600812619
^Hoe, V.B. and Siong, K.H., "The Nutritional Value of Indigenous Fruits and Vegetables in Sarawak,"Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 8, no. 1, 1998, pp 24-31
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