Tribulus cistoides L. – Kingston Buttercup

Introduction:

Family: Zygophyllaceae
Genus: Tribulus L.
Species: Tribulus cistoides L.

Kingston Buttercup (Tribulus cistoides L.) is a perennial spreading herb and ground cover that is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. It is a species of shrubs in the family Zygophyllaceae that blooms showy yellow flowers.

Some persons regard the Kingston Buttercup as an attractive ornamental plant but it is actually considered an invasive species in a few areas across the globe. The herb is a photoautotroph and mainly used for its medicinal properties.

Description Of Kingston Buttercup (Tribulus cistoides L.):

Tribulus cistoides L. is a fast-growing perennial herb that blooms bright yellow flowers all year round. It is a low-growing (prostrate), climbing plant that is capable of spreading over six feet or more. It is usually found growing in sandy, coastal habitats, and its seeds are likely spread by ocean currents.

The Kingston Buttercup consists of green to reddish or brownish stems that are covered with stiff, upright to flattened, white hairs, however, the plant will become hairless with age. The leaves are compound and have an opposite arrangement, each leaf has five to eight pairs of unequal leaflets. The upper surface of the leaves is green and sparsely pubescent while the lower surface is whitish and densely pubescent.

The flowers have five yellow petals and are solitary in the axils of smaller leaves. Flowers open just after sunrise and close at sunset and last about two days. The fruit is a woody ‘burr’ that splits when mature into four or five woody and spiny segments, each with stiff, sharp spines and long white hairs.

Kingston Buttercup (Tribulus cistoides L) by blackscoter

Kingston Buttercup (Tribulus cistoides L) by alan_rockefeller

Kingston Buttercup (Tribulus cistoides L) photo by porsiel

Kingston Buttercup (Tribulus cistoides L) from Wikimedia Commons

Kingston Buttercup (Tribulus cistoides L) by sambiology

The Kingston Buttercup (Tribulus cistoides L.) is also known as Jamaica Buttercup, Police Macca, Jamaica Fever Plant, Turkey Blossom, Kill Buckra, Puncture Vine, False Puncture Vine, Carpet Weed, BurrNut, Nohu, and Spiny-fruited Caltop.

Medicinal Properties:

The Tribulus species are considered anti-inflammatory, diuretic, stimulant, and hepatic; and this particular species – Tribulus cistoides L., contains a glucoside, phlobaphene, and oil present in its fruits and seeds.

The plant yields flavonoids, flavonol glycosides, steroidal saponins, and alkaloids.
– Methanol extract of aerial parts of Tribulus cistoides L. yielded nine steroid saponins, including cardioactive cistocardin.
– Methanolic extract of roots yielded cardioactive saponin-3, along with tribolusin, a pregnance-type glycoside and 8 new cholestane glycosides. D-(+)-pinitol and sucrose were major constituents.

Medicinal Uses:

Kingston Buttercup (Tribulus cistoides L.) has various medicinal uses and is used for treating ailments such as headaches, nervous disorders, and constipation.

In Jamaica, it is used mainly in the treatment of colds, malaria, kidney and bladder infection.
.
Kingston Buttercup is also used for water retention and to treat liver problems.
.
In Hawaii, the leaves and roots of Tribulus cistoides L. were used as a poultice, pounded and applied to sores and ulcers, it was also used for treating abscesses of burst sores. The flowers were used in the treatment of leprosy, and the stems used in the treatment of skin diseases and psoriasis.

Other Uses:

In some places, the leaves of the Kingston Buttercup (Tribulus cistoides L.) are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Additional Information:

WARNING: This plant, Tribulus cistoides L., produces sharply spined fruits and persons should therefore use extreme caution when handling it.
.
Also, these spiny fruits can be quite painful if stepped on barefoot and may result in flesh and skin punctures, infections, and other mechanical injuries to humans and animals. The spines will even puncture rubber slippers and are sharp enough to puncture tires.
.
The wide-spreading Tribulus cistoides L. is likely to interfere with crop quality on farms because of its ability to extract moisture from great depths within the soil, becoming a severe competitive plant during very dry conditions.
.
Kingston Buttercup has been reported to be poisonous to livestock, especially sheep; and the plant, in a wilted state, is said to cause a disease in sheep called geeldikkop. The seeds of this plant, however, are an important food source for the largest ground finch species (Geospiza fortis, G. magnirostris, and G. conirostris) in dry months.