Abstract
Plants belonging to the subfamily Bombacoideae (family Malvaceae) consist of about 304 species, many of them having high economical and medicinal properties. In the past, this plant group was put under Bombacaceae; however, modern molecular and phytochemical findings supported the group as a subfamily of Malvaceae. A detailed search on the number of publications related to the Bombacoideae subfamily was carried out in databases like PubMed and Science Direct using various keywords. Most of the plants in the group are perennial tall trees usually with swollen tree trunks, brightly colored flowers, and large branches. Various plant parts ranging from leaves to seeds to stems of several species are also used as food and fibers in many countries. Members of Bombacoides are used as ornamentals and economic utilities, various plants are used in traditional medication systems for their anti-inflammatory, astringent, stimulant, antipyretic, microbial, analgesic, and diuretic effects. Several phytochemicals, both polar and non-polar compounds, have been detected in this plant group supporting evidence of their medicinal and nutritional uses. The present review provides comprehensive taxonomic, ethno-pharmacological, economic, food and phytochemical properties of the subfamily Bombacoideae.
Highlights
The plant group Bombacoideae is a subfamily of Malvaceae.The subfamily contains about 304 species, most of them with high economical and medicinal values
Dotted lines lines specify the changes in the genus limitation and the genera, which is described after the previspecify the changes in the genus limitation and the genera, which is described after the previous action, ous action, and are specified by a symbol (*), while the citation marks represent the tribes which and are specified by a symbol (*), while the citation marks represent the tribes which are not validly are not validly published
One popular wood is balsa wood obtained from the Ochroma pyramidale [16] and other species were widely used for making dugout canoes in ancient South America
Summary
The plant group Bombacoideae is a subfamily of Malvaceae (kapok, cotton family). The subfamily contains about 304 species, most of them with high economical and medicinal values. Many genera of this subfamily are known for producing fibers, timber, fruits, and vegetables, thereby, regarded as one of the important economic and commercial plant groups This group was previously recognized as a distinct family, Bombacaceae, based on the type genus Bombax by some traditional taxonomists. Morphological, anatomical, palynological, phytochemical, and molecular phylogenetic analyses have shown that separation of Bombacaceae from its related groups viz. Malvaceae, Tiliaceae, and Sterculiaceae is inconsistent [5]. This plant group includes several plants, which are used for medicinal and economic utilities.
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