Mortonia utahensis
Kingston Range, CA
Mar 2005

Ramirez Apan A. A., A. L. Perez-Castorena and A. R. de Vivar. 2004.  Anti-inflammatory constituents of Mortonia greggii Gray.  Z Naturforsch [C]. 59(3-4): 237–243. “A new phytochemical study of Mortonia greggii (Celastraceae) afforded four friedelan derivatives (1-4), three lupanes (5-7), retusine (8), two esterified polyhydroxyagarofurans (9-10), mortonin C (11) and photomortonin C (12). The anti-inflammatory activity on carrageenan and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate induced models of inflammation, as well as the ability to inhibit the nitric oxide (NO) produced by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages were evaluated for the main metabolites. Our results showed that the friedelan dehydrocanophyllic acid methyl ester (1) exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect which could be related to an inhibition of prostaglandin and NO production. The activity of lupeol (5), 29-hydroxylupeol (6) and 29-hydroxylupenone (7) might be involved with the prostanoid synthesis. The presence of the hydroxy groups in 6 appears to be important for activity. The edema inhibition capacity of retusine (8) could be related to a reduction of the prostaglandin production. The agarofuran derivative 10 is an NO inhibitor whose activity is probably not involved in the synthesis of prostaglandins.”

Simmons M. P., C. C. Clevinger, V. V. Savolainen, R. H. Archer, S. Mathews and J. J. Doyle.  2001. Phylogeny of the Celastraceae inferred from phytochrome B gene sequence and morphology.  Am. J. Bot. 88(2): 313–325. “Phylogenetic relationships within Celastraceae were inferred using a simultaneous analysis of 61 morphological characters and 1123 base pairs of phytochrome B exon 1 from the nuclear genome. No gaps were inferred, and the gene tree topology suggests that the primers were specific to a single locus that did not duplicate among the lineages sampled. This region of phytochrome B was most useful for examining relationships among closely related genera. Fifty-one species from 38 genera of Celastraceae were sampled. The Celastraceae sensu lato (including Hippocrateaceae) were resolved as a monophyletic group. Loesener's subfamilies and tribes of Celastraceae were not supported. The Hippocrateaceae were resolved as a monophyletic group nested within a paraphyletic Celastraceae sensu stricto. GOUPIA: was resolved as more closely related to Euphorbiaceae, Corynocarpaceae, and Linaceae than to Celastraceae. PLAGIOPTERON: (Flacourtiaceae) was resolved as the sister group of Hippocrateoideae. BREXIA: (Brexiaceae) was resolved as closely related to ELAEODENDRON: and Pleurostylia. Canotia was resolved as the sister group of ACANTHOTHAMNUS: within Celastraceae. PERROTTETIA: and MORTONIA: were resolved as the sister group of the rest of the Celastraceae. SIPHONODON: was resolved as a derived member of Celastraceae. MAYTENUS: was resolved as three disparate groups, suggesting that this large genus needs to be recircumscribed.”