Curculigo
Curculigo is a flowering plant genus in the family Hypoxidaceae, first described in 1788. It is widespread across tropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas.
Curculin is a sweet protein that was discovered and isolated in 1990 from the fruit of Curculigo latifolia, a plant from Malaysia. Like miraculin, curculin exhibits taste-modifying activity; however, unlike miraculin, it also exhibits a sweet taste by itself. After consumption of curculin, water and sour solutions taste sweet. The plant is referred to locally as lembah or lumbah; English: 'weevil-wort'.
Species
includes:- Curculigo annamitica Gagnep. – Vietnam
- Curculigo breviscapa S.C.Chen – China
- Curculigo capitulata
- Curculigo conoc Gagnep. – Vietnam
- Curculigo crassifolia
- Curculigo disticha Gagnep. – Vietnam
- Curculigo ensifolia R.Br. – Australia
- Curculigo erecta Lauterb. – Philippines, Sumatra, New Guinea, Solomon Islands
- Curculigo fabrei
- Curculigo fakimensis
- Curculigo gracilis
- Curculigo janarthanamii R.D. Gore & S.P.Gaikwad – India
- Curculigo latifolia
- Curculigo maharashtrensis M.R.Almeida & S.Yadav – Maharashtra
- Curculigo maheensis
- Curculigo oligantha
- Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. – China, Japan, Indian Subcontinent, Papuasia, Micronesia
- Curculigo pilosa Engl. – tropical Africa, Madagascar
- Curculigo prainiana
- Curculigo racemosa Ridl. – Borneo
- Curculigo rhizophylla
- Curculigo sabui S.P. Gaikwad & Gore – India
- Curculigo savantwadiensis M.R.Almeida & S.Yadav – Maharashtra
- Curculigo scorzonerifolia Baker – southern Mexico, Central America, West Indies, northern South America
- Curculigo seychellensis Bojer ex Baker – Seychelles
- Curculigo sinensis S.C.Chen – China
- Curculigo tonkinensis Gagnep. – Vietnam
- ''Curculigo trichocarpa''