plants Review Understanding the Ethnobotany, Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Distribution of Genus Hydnora (Aristolochiaceae) Elijah Mbandi Mkala 1,2,3,4,† , Moses Mutuse Mutungi 1,2,3,† , Elizabeth Syowai Mutinda 1,2,3, Millicent Akinyi Oulo 1,2,3, Vincent Okelo Wanga 1,2,3, Geoffrey Mwachala 4 and Guang-Wan Hu 1,2,3,* 1 CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China;
[email protected] (E.M.M.);
[email protected] (M.M.M.);
[email protected] (E.S.M.);
[email protected] (M.A.O.);
[email protected] (V.O.W.) 2 Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China 3 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China 4 East African Herbarium, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 451660-0100 Nairobi, Kenya;
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[email protected] † These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract: The genus Hydnora (Hydnoraceae) is one of the basal angiosperms in the order Piperales, found in the semi-arid regions of Africa, and the Southern Arabian Peninsula. Plants in this genus play essential roles in communities around the world as revealed by various studies. Currently, there are eight species of the genus Hydnora; seven in Africa and one in the Arabian Peninsula. Citation: Mkala, E.M.; Mutungi, Notably, Hydnora abyssinica A.Br. and Hydnora africana Thunb. are widely distributed compared to M.M.; Mutinda, E.S.; Oulo, M.A.; other species. They are widely used for their medicinal and nutritional values.