Petiveria alliacea
(guinea hen weed)

Preferred Common Name

• guinea hen weed

Other Scientific Names

• Petiveria alliacea var. grandifolia Moq.
• Petiveria alliacea var. octandra (L.) Moq.
• Petiveria corrientina Rojas
• Petiveria hexandria Sessé & Moc.
• Petiveria ochroleuca Moq.
• Petiveria octandra L.
• Petiveria paraguayensis D. Parodi

International Common Names

• English: Congo root; garlic weed; Guinea hen plant; Guinea-hen weed; gully root; skunk root; skunk weed; strong man's weed
• Spanish: ajillo; anamú; apacina; epasina; hierba gallinita; hierba zorrillo; hoja de zorrillo; ipasina; mapurite; pipí; zorrillo
• French: chasse vermine; chasser vermine; feuilles avé; herbe aux poules; pétivere à odeur d’ail; verveine puante

Local Common Names

• Argentina: calauchín; mikura; sinikila
• Bahamas: garlic-weed; obeah-bush
• Brazil: erva guiné; guiné; mucuracá; tipí
• Dominican Republic: avé; huevo de gato; mal pourri
• El Salvador: hierba de toro
• Guatemala: apacin
• Haiti: avette
• Honduras: ipacina
• Lesser Antilles: conga root; cudjoe root; dandail; danday; douvan neg; douvant-negre; fey douvan; garlic root; gonga root; kudjoe root; marie purie; mawi pouwi; strong man bush
• Mexico: carricillo silvestre; japachumi
• Peru: chanvico; mucura; sacha ajo

• Domain: Eukaryota
•     Kingdom: Plantae
•         Phylum: Spermatophyta
•             Subphylum: Angiospermae
•                 Class: Dicotyledonae
•                     Order: Caryophyllales
•                         Family: Phytolaccaceae
•                             Genus: Petiveria
•                                 Species: Petiveria alliacea

Phytolaccaceae is a small family of flowering plants including 18 genera and 65 species of trees, shrubs, herbs, and vines, mostly distributed in tropical and warm temperate areas principally in America, but also in Tropical Africa, Tropical Asia, and Australia (Stevens, 2012). Taxonomic delimitation of the family Phytolaccaceae has been a matter of debate. Although for many botanists Phytolaccaceae clearly belongs to the Caryophyllales, there is a debate about its circumscription and exact position (Nienaber and Thieret, 2003; Steinmann, 2013). Recently, some genera historically considered within the family have been segregated as separate families. For example, the North American genus Stegnosperma is now considered in the monogeneric family Stegnospermataceae. Similarly the Old World genera Barbeuia and Gisekia are now treated as the families Barbeuiaceae and Gisekiaceae (Steinmann, 2013). The New World genera Achatocarpus and Phaulothamnus were recognized by some specialists as members of Phytolaccaceae, but these genera are now treated in the family Achatocarpaceae. Even with these genera removed, controversy exists, and the core of the family is sometimes additionally divided into two families (Steinmann, 2013):

1. Phytolaccaceae: characterized by ovary of 3-16 carpels, corresponding to subfamiles Agdestioideae and Phytolaccoideae.
2.  Petiveriaceae: characterized by ovary of one carpel, corresponding to subfamilies Rivinioideae and Microteoideae.

The Plant List (2013) places the genus Petiveria still within the Phytolaccaceae, which is the taxonomic status used for this datasheet. P. alliacea is the only accepted species name within the genus in The Plant List (2013), although the infraspecific taxon P. alliacea var. tetrandra (Ortega) Hauman is also listed as accepted.

P. alliacea is a herbaceous plant, stems erect, up to 1 m tall, pubescent to glabrate. Leaves are alternate, simple and entire, stipules 2 mm; petiole 0.4-2 cm; blade elliptic to oblong or obovate, to 20 × 7 cm, base acute to cuneate, apex acuminate or acute to obtuse or rounded. Leaves and stems with garlic smell. Inflorescences often drooping distally, 0.8-4 dm; peduncle 1-4 cm; pedicel 0.5-2 mm. Flowers are bisexual, zygomorphic, slightly imbricate to rather remote; sepals white or greenish to pinkish, linear-lanceolate to linear-oblong, 3.5-6 mm; ovary superior. Fruits are narrowly oblong achenes subtended by persistent bracts and perianth, 6-8 mm long, striate with recurved hooks, 1 seed (Nienaber and Thieret, 2003; Alegre and Clavo, 2007).

Soil drainage

• free

Soil reaction

• acid
• neutral

Soil texture

• light
• medium

Special soil tolerances

• shallow

Alegre and Clavo (2007) suggest that seeds of P. alliacea in South America are wind-dispersed. However, other authors suggest that seeds are dispersed by animals when seeds attach to fur and feathers. P. alliacea fruits (achenes) have spiky hooks and barbed projections which facilitate dispersal by sticking to animal fur, feathers or human clothing (Mori and Brown, 1998; Nienaber and Thieret, 2003).

P. alliacea may cause dermatitis in humans and taints the milk and meat of animals that graze on it and may also induce abortion (Nienaber and Thieret, 2003; Más and Lugo, 2013). When this species is fed to animals on a regular basis it may cause adverse reactions. The plant can accumulate nitrates and may cause nitrate poisoning in cattle (Alegre and Clavo, 2007). P. alliacea is a common weed in coffee, maize, and apple plantations as well as in pasturelands and natural forests (Cardenas and Coulston, 1967; Garcia et al., 1975; Vibrans, 2009; Más and Lugo, 2013).

• Invasive in its native range
• Has a broad native range
• Abundant in its native range
• Is a habitat generalist
• Tolerates, or benefits from, cultivation, browsing pressure, mutilation, fire etc
• Pioneering in disturbed areas
• Tolerant of shade
• Highly mobile locally
• Benefits from human association (i.e. it is a human commensal)
• Fast growing
• Has high reproductive potential

• Monoculture formation
• Negatively impacts agriculture
• Damages animal/plant products

• Causes allergic responses
• Competition - monopolizing resources
• Competition - smothering
• Induces hypersensitivity
• Rapid growth
• Produces spines, thorns or burrs

• Highly likely to be transported internationally accidentally
• Highly likely to be transported internationally deliberately
• Highly likely to be transported internationally illegally

P. alliacea is a very important plant in traditional Latin America herbal medicine where it is used as an anti-rheumatic, anti-inflammatory, to treat fever, headache, diabetes, malaria, arthritis, skin allergies, cancer, and to induce abortions (Pérez-Leal et al., 2006). Studies have demonstrated that it has biologically active compounds such as benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, benzyl 2-hydroxyethyl trisulphide, coumarin, isoarborinol, isoarborinol acetate, isoarborinol cinnamate, isothiocyanates, polyphenols, senfol, tannins, and trithiolaniacine, many of which show antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and immunological activity (Pérez-Leal et al., 2006; Alegre and Clavo, 2007). The leaves of P. alliacea have a strong garlic-like odour when crushed, and in some areas of tropical America it serves as an insect and bat repellent, and as an acaridice (Nienaber and Thieret, 2003; Pérez-Leal et al., 2006). In Latin America and the West Indies, it is commonly used by “medicine men” in ritual ceremonies. In Brazil, Cuba, and tropical Africa it is important in Yoruba magical rituals (Alegre and Clavo, 2007).