Cleome (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Cleome L.

Protologue: Sp. pl. 2: 671 (1753); Gen. pl. ed. 5: 302 (1754).

Family: Capparaceae

Chromosome number: x= 9-12, 15-19; C. chelidonii: 2n= 20, 34; C. gynandra: 2n= 34, 36; C. viscosa: 2n= 20

• Cleome gynandra L.,
• C. viscosa L.

Cleome is a pantropical and subtropical genus with more than 150 species, many of them found in the Americas, and about 65 species in Africa and the Middle East. In Malesia 8 species occur, of which 2 are cultivated, and the others are native or introduced.

In South-East Asia and West Africa, the leaves and seeds of C. gynandra and C. viscosa are used as a rubefacient and vesicant, and also to treat infections, fever, rheumatism or headache. If the leaves are left too long in contact with the skin, blisters are produced. In Indonesia and Thailand, the bruised leaves are considered counter-irritant when applied externally to treat herpes infections. Internally, they are used as expectorant and digestive stimulant. An infusion is given to women in labour. In the Philippines, the whole plant is used in certain bilious disorders. In Indo-China, the crushed leaves are rubbed on the lower back to calm lumbago. In the Philippines, Thailand, China and India, the seeds are considered carminative. However, if taken in excess, the result is flatulence and oppression of the stomach. A decoction of the seeds is used as a wash to treat piles and rheumatism, and also administered to treat gonorrhoea and dysentery. In Indo-China, the roots are used as a stimulant and anti-scorbutic.

In Malesia, the juice of the leaves of C. viscosa mixed with butter is used in the treatment of inflammations of the middle ear. They are also used externally for wounds and ulcers. The seeds have anthelminthic properties, although they are ineffective in treating roundworm infections. In Peninsular Malaysia, a decoction of the whole plant is used for colic and dysentery. In Indo-China, Malaysia and the Philippines, an infusion is applied to skin diseases, and the roots are a remedy for scurvy and rheumatism. The vapour from a steaming decoction of the whole plant is inhaled to treat headache. In Papua New Guinea, it is widely believed that a woman can increase her fertility by chewing the leaves with betel nut (Areca catechu L.) for a week. In Thailand, the flowers are considered antiseptic.

In China, C. chelidonii is used in the same way as C. viscosa: an infusion of the whole plant is used for skin complaints. The Madurese drop warm juice from the leaves into the ear against ear infections. The roots are considered vermifuge.

In Java and Thailand, the bitter leaves of C. gynandra are boiled and eaten as a vegetable, or salted and used as a pickle. In Africa, the bitter leaves are very popular and eaten fresh, dried or cooked. In India, C. viscosa leaves are eaten as a vegetable by poor people, while the seeds are used as a substitute for mustard seed, as a condiment in curries. In temperate climates, C. gynandra is grown as a summer ornamental. The seeds are sold as bird-food in Java.

C. speciosa Raf. and C. spinosa Jacq. are cultivated in the tropics, including South-East Asia, as ornamentals. C. spinosa has stomachic and antivulnerary properties, and the leaves are used as a poultice against headache. C. viscosa is not grazed by cattle.

C. gynandra is a common market vegetable in Malaysia and Thailand, where it is sold fresh or in brine.

C. gynandra seeds contain the glucosinolates cleomin and glucocapparin (= methyl glucosinolate), and an acrid volatile oil, comparable with mustard oil. This essential oil is also present in the leaves and aerial parts, and is responsible for the odour and flavour of the plant. Its major constituents are: cleogynol, a dammarane triterpenoid, carvacrol (29.2%), a phenolic, trans-phytol (24%), linalool (13.3%), trans-2-methylcyclopentanol (7.2%) andβ-caryophyllene (4.4%).

The presence of isothiocyanate derivatives (or glucosinolates), which have irritant properties when in contact with the skin, justify the use of C. gynandra as an antirheumatic and counter-irritant in traditional medicine.

Furthermore, the alcoholic extract of the whole plant was found to show anticancer activity against cultured human epidermal carcinoma of the nasopharynx cells in vitro, and against transplanted hepatoma 129 in a mouse model.

The aerial parts of C. gynandra show a strong repellent and acaricidal activity to larvae, nymphs and adults of the ticks Amblyomma variegatum and Rhipicephalus appendiculatus. Field investigations indicated that ticks were not found up to 2-5 m from the plants in areas where it was predominant. Of the essential oil components further investigated, carvacrol, as well as the minor components m-cymenene, nonanal, 1-α-terpineol, β-cyclocitral, nerol, trans-geraniol, β-ionone, trans-geranylacetone and nerolidol were found to be most repellent against Rhipicephalus appendiculatus. In addition, the acetone extract of aerial parts showed growth inhibitory and juvenile hormone mimicking activity to larvae of the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus, and deformed flight muscles, small egg rafts, affected biting behaviour and loss of fecundity in adults. There was also a report on anti-HIV activity of the plant.

The seed oil of C. viscosa contains up to 70% linoleic acid as well as some volatile components e.g. α-pinene (11%) and δ-cadinene (12%). Rats fed on C. viscosa oil did not show any abnormal growth or reproductive performance or altered liver lipid levels, and it is therefore suggested that it might be used safely by humans. A series of coumarino-lignans, the cleomiscosins, have been isolated from the seeds. These exhibited anti-hepatotoxic properties in tests with rats. An aqueous extract of seeds was found to be non-toxic when given orally and intraperitoneally to rats and mice. The extract also displayed significant analgesic activity in mice and local anaesthetic activity in guinea-pigs.

Antibacterial activity was tested from the aerial parts of C. gynandra and C. viscosa using the filter paper disk diffusion method, and was found to inhibit significantly the growth of Alkalignes viscolactis, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella acrogenas and Streptococcus pyogenes, while C. viscosa totally inhibited the growth of Acromonas hydrophylla and B. cereus. C. viscosa seed and shoot extracts have an allelopathic effect on seed germination, leaf sheath elongation and root growth of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.).

Mustard seeds are used as a substitute for those of C. viscosa or C. gynandra as a condiment, and also for medicinal purposes.

• Annual or perennial herbs, often hairy.
• Leaves spirally arranged, palmately 3-7-foliolate, central leaflet largest in the Malesian species; petiole present; stipules normally absent.
• Inflorescence a leafy terminal corymbose raceme or panicle, leaves apically gradually reduced.
• Flowers pedicelled; sepals 4, free; petals 4, free, (slightly) zygomorphic in their position, the base often clawed; stamens 6 to numerous, sometimes at the base connate to the gynophore or androgynophore; ovary 1-celled; stigma knob-shaped or flattish, subsessile.
• Fruit a linear, terete capsule, 2-valved, beaked, dehiscing from the base or the apex.
• Seeds numerous, orbicular to horseshoe-shaped, sometimes with a funiculum, the dorsal side sculptured to scaly.

Most Malesian Cleome species flower and fruit throughout the year. The seeds are dispersed by water and animals that eat the plants. C. viscosa starts flowering 3-4 weeks after germination, and the life cycle is about 3 months. The flowers are ephemeral, they open in the morning and close in the afternoon. The flowers of C. gynandra are nocturnal. C. gynandra has a C4-cycle photosynthetic pathway, which means a high rate of photosynthesis at high temperature and radiation.

C. chelidonii is found to have 3 flower types in India, which differ in the length of the gynoecium. Those with a short gynoecium do not set fruit and act merely as pollen donors. The other 2 types are bisexual and produce fruit by allogamy and autogamy.

The Cleome species in Malesia all have simple and multicellular, densely set hairs, which are often glandular. The genus Gynandropsis has been merged with Cleome, as the connation of the staminal base with the gynophore to form an androgynophore is merely a quantitative character, not a qualitative one. For the genus Polanisia, the original concept is being followed, species having 6 stamens with a large adaxial gland, thus excluding the Old World Cleome. Cleome is sometimes classified into a separate family, the Cleomaceae.

In Malesia, most Cleome species are ruderal weeds along roadsides and in fields, at low altitudes.

Cleome is propagated by seed. C. viscosa seeds have no dormancy and germinate readily after shedding.

Seeds of C. gynandra can be sown by broadcasting on a nursery bed followed by transplanting, or can be direct-seeded in rows followed by thinning. In India, in vitro propagation for mass propagation for medicinal purposes was successfully done on Murashige and Skoog’s medium containing 3% sucrose, 0.8% agar and supplemented with auxin, cytokinin and coconut water. C. viscosa leaf segments were successfully cultured in a similar way.

C. viscosa is a host for the papaya ringspot potyvirus, which also attacks melons. Cleome is a host for the nematodes Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica, but no other serious pests are known.

Leaves of C. gynandra can be harvested for culinary and medicinal purposes from the second month after sowing onwards.

The leaves of C. gynandra can be preserved by drying.

A germplasm collection of C. gynandra exists in Kenya, whereas another small germplasm collection is kept in Griffin (United States). As many Cleome species are widespread as weeds, there is no serious risk of genetic erosion. C. gynandra is being bred in Kenya, in order to improve its quality and quantity as a vegetable.

Several compounds of Cleome display interesting properties, e.g. the glucosinolates as a counter irritant in the treatment of rheumatism, or the volatile oil in the control of ticks. This might be of interest for rural communities, and therefore merits further research.

• Jacobs, M., 1960. Cleome. In: van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (Editor): Flora Malesiana. Series 1, Vol. 6. Wolters-Noordhoff Publishing, Groningen, the Netherlands. pp. 99-105.
• Lwande, W., Ndakale, A.J., Hassanali, A., Moreka, L., Nyandat, E., Ndungu, M., Amiani, H., Gitu, P.M., Malonza, M.M. & Punyua, D.K., 1999. Gynandropsis gynandra essential oil and its constituents as tick (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus) repellents. Phytochemistry 50(3): 401-405.
• Naseem, M. & Jha, K.K., 1997. Rapid clonal multiplication of Cleome gynandra DC. through tissue culture. Phytomorphology 47(4): 405-411.
• Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. pp. 342-345.
• Saxena, R.C., Dixit, O.P. & Sukumaran, P., 1992. Laboratory assessment of indigenous plant extracts for anti-juvenile hormone activity in Culex quinquefasciatus. Indian Journal of Medical Research 95: 204-206.
• Singh, P.D.A. & West, M.E., 1991. Pharmacological investigations of sticky viscome extract (Cleome viscosa L.) in rats, mice and guinea-pigs. Phytotherapy Research 5(2): 82-84.

• F.I. Windadri