Genipa americana L. (Marmalade Box): In Vitro Production of Iridoid Glucosides

Abstract

Rubiaceous plants of the genusGenipa grow throughout tropical America, and Genipa americana L. (synonym G. caruto H.B. & K.) (Fig. 1 A) is native to the wet or moist areas of Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and from Guadeloupe of Trinidad; also from southern Mexico to Panama, and from Colombia and Venezuela to Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina. The fruit (Fig. 1B, C), which is edible and popular as a source for beverages, has many colloquial names: marmalade box in the former British West Indies, genipa, jagua orcaruto in Puerto Rico and several other Spanish-speaking countries; genipapo, jenipapo or jenipa in parts of Columbia and Brazil; chipara, chibara or guanapay among Colombian Indians; carucarutoto, caruto rebalsero, or guaricha in Venezuela, tapoeripa in Surinam, lana in Guyana; bi, bicito or totumillo in Bolivia; huitoc, vito, vitu or palo Colorado in Peru; maluco in Mexico; crayo, irayol de montana, guaitil or tapaculo in Costa Rica; irayol, tambor or tine-duentes in EL Salvador; and guayatil Colorado or jagua blanca in Panama (Morton 1987; Silva et al. 1977). This tree is strictly tropical and grows well in a humid atmosphere and deep loamy soil. The erect trunk of the tree with spreading branches is over 30 m in height. The leaves, deciduous, especially at the rapid lowering of ambient temperatures, are opposite but mostly clustered at the tip of the branch, oblong, 10–30 cm in length, and have a prominent midrib. The tubular five-petaled flowers are yellowish, and ca. 4 cm in width. The elliptic fruit, ca. 10 cm in length, and bearing a short hollow tube at the apex, contains white flesh, which turns yellow to bluish-purple and finally to jet-black on exposure to the air (Morton 1987). It was reported that the natives bathed their limbs and sometimes the whole body, when tired, in a clear juice obtained from the fruits, which turned everything it touched as black as fine and polished jet (Oviedo 18th century).