Camptotheca acuminata Decne. is also known as Eclipta prostrata, Pittosporum fortunei and Thousand Trees. It is a deciduous perennial tree of Davidiaceae. Location: Anhui, Hubei, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan and other provinces. Take root bark, fruit and leaves as medicine. Contains a variety of alkaloids, and the main anticancer components are camptothecin, 10- hydroxycamptothecin,1-hydroxycamptothecin, 10- methoxycamptothecin,1-methoxycamptothecin, deoxycamptothecin and Camptotheca acuminata. It tastes bitter, cool and toxic. Root bark and fruit have the functions of anti-cancer, clearing away heat, killing insects and eliminating stagnation. It has good curative effect on gastric ulcer, gastric adenocarcinoma, colon cancer, rectal cancer, malignant staphyloma, choriocarcinoma and so on. However, the toxic reaction is large. Leaves can cure carbuncle, sore, furuncle and swelling. External use for psoriasis. Clinically, it is mostly used to extract camptothecin.

I. Morphological characteristics

Deciduous tree, 20-25m high, with straight trunk, gray to grayish black bark, smooth or shallowly split into longitudinal grooves, grayish when young, and smooth after shedding. Simple leaves alternate, elliptic, ovate or elliptic, with acuminate or acute apex, entire or microwave-shaped, dark green on the top, smooth and hairless, pale green on the back, and sparse grayish yellow fur. Flowers unisexual, clustered into heads; Female inflorescence terminal, male inflorescence axillary; Calyx 5-lobed; Petals 5; Disk cup-shaped; Male flowers have 10 stamens; Female flower ovary is inferior, and the style is 2-3-lobed. Most of the fruits are round-headed compound fruits, and the drupes are narrow and oblong, with narrow wings and persistent inflorescences at the top, which are brown when mature (Figure19-10).

Figure19 ——10 Morphological diagram of Camptotheca acuminata

1. Flower branch 2. Fruit branch 3. Pistil after petals and stamens fall off 4. Male flower.

Second, biological characteristics

Camptotheca acuminata is a fast-growing tree with deep roots, strong germination and rapid growth. In the annual growth cycle, in late February, when the average temperature reaches 8-10℃, the sap flows and begins to sprout; in late March, when the temperature is about 15℃, the leaves begin to spread, and flowers bloom in April-May,10-/kloc-0. In a year, seedlings grow slowly before June, and grow fastest from July to September. The 1000-seed weight is 33g, about 30,000 seeds per kg.

Sexual preference is warm and humid, and it is not resistant to cold and dryness. It is suitable for growing in areas where the annual average temperature 1 3-17℃,1month average temperature is not lower than 0℃, the annual precipitation 1000mm is above and evenly distributed, and the air relative humidity is above 80%.

Sex is sunny, but it is more tolerant to shade at seedling stage and juvenile stage. According to the observation of plantation, the shady slope grows faster than the sunny slope, and the trunk is straight. Like a 12-year-old plantation, the height and DBH of trees growing on shady slopes are 1 1m and 22. 1cm, but the leaves are thin, the stalks are long and the tissues are loose. The tree on sunny slope is 9.6m high and DBH16.8cm.. Under the condition of strong light, it is multi-branched, with large crown and poor stem shape, but its leaves are dark green and dense.

I like fertile and moist soil. It grows well in the weathered soil of limestone, alluvial soil, sandy land of river beach, river bank and other areas with high groundwater level. It does not grow well in coarse sandy soil, gravel soil and dry and shallow rocky mountain areas with poor soil fertility. It has a wide range of adaptation to soil pH. It can grow on acidic, neutral and weakly alkaline soils.

Strong resistance to pests and diseases, but sensitive to smoke, it is not suitable for cultivation in industrial and mining areas with serious tobacco damage.

Third, cultivation techniques

(A) land selection and land preparation

The nursery site should be sunny, loose soil, fertile soil, good drainage and convenient irrigation. Then, dig 20cm deep, break the soil and rake it flat, and make the border according to the width of1-1.2m. The length of the border is uncertain, the height of the border is 20cm and the width of the border ditch is 25cm. The choice of planting site is not strict enough, and it can also be planted by roadside, house and open space. Commonly used hole reclamation and land preparation. Such as sporadic cultivation, that is, digging holes according to the hole diameter of 50cm and the depth of 40cm. For patch cultivation, holes are opened according to the row spacing of 3×4m.

(2) Breeding method

Reproduce mainly with seeds. Sow from the end of February to the middle of March. The seeds are layered before sowing. Multi-purpose drill, with a spacing of 30cm. After sowing, cover the soil with a thickness of1-2 cm, and cover with grass to keep warm and moist. Seedling can emerge about 8 days after sowing. When the seeds germinate and top the soil, remove the straw in time. The height of seedlings is about 10cm, and the spacing between seedlings is about18-24 cm. During seedling raising, intertillage and weeding should be done in time, so that the ground is not hardened and weeds are not seen. Topdressing for 3 times, namely, topdressing human and animal manure and urine water 1 time after thinning, at the end of July and before defoliation. With proper management, when the annual seedling is 80-100 cm high, it can be planted in the nursery. The sowing amount per mu is 4-6 kg, and the seedling yield is 1 10,000-10.5 million plants.

(3) Planting

It varies according to local climatic conditions. Planting after defoliation in winter and before germination in spring. Early spring in February or early March is suitable for Jiangxi. Before planting, fill the dug holes with organic fertilizer or rich soil. When planting, it is required to plant correctly, Shu Gen and matter. For specific methods, see the planting of Prunus humilis. If large seedlings are planted, supports should be set up to prevent them from being shaken by wind and wind, which will affect their survival.

(4) Field management

1. intertillage weeding

The period and times of weeding and loosening the soil depend on the growth of weeds. Generally, it is carried out during the young forest period or before and after the rainy season, when weeds grow vigorously. For the first time, it is better to harvest in summer sowing in summer. At this time, the grass is tender and the soil is wet, and it will just be used as fertilizer after being turned over, which is conducive to promoting the growth of young forests. The second time in the rainy season from August to September, loosening soil and weeding can prevent soil moisture from evaporating. After planting1-2 years, loosen the soil and weed twice, and then once a year. After the forest is formed, it will no longer be cultivated alone.

2. Fertilization and irrigation

Proper fertilization and irrigation for young trees is an important measure to promote the rapid growth of trees. Fertilization should be based on base fertilizer, supplemented by topdressing. Topdressing is generally combined with weeding and loosening the soil, mainly organic fertilizer and human and animal manure. In some arid areas, or in the dry season from July to August, when young forests suffer from drought, they should be irrigated in time to ensure their survival.

Step 3 remove tillers

Newly planted young forests often sprout from the stump, which consumes nutrients and affects the growth of trunk. Therefore, it is necessary to combine weeding and loosening the soil, cut off its sprouts, and cultivate the soil until the incision is buried.

4. Land use

For example, crops, other medicinal materials and green manure can be planted between rows of young forests before they are closed. The types of intercropping crops are leguminous crops and other dwarf crops, such as soybeans, peanuts and vegetables. Do not interplant tall stalks, tubers and vines. When intercropping, crops should also keep a certain distance from the trunk to avoid affecting the growth of young trees. After the forest is formed, some hi-negative medicinal plants can also be intercropped.

(5) Insect pests and their control

Parasacon social walker damages leaves with larvae. In severe cases, all leaves are eaten up, leaving only branches and petioles. Jiangxi and Zhejiang have 2-3 generations a year, mainly 2 generations. Larvae overwinter by cocooning at the lower part of the trunk. Prevention and control methods: in winter and July-August, dig cocoons near the damaged trees or break the insect cocoons on the trunk; Spray with 400 times of Derris neutral soap solution or 300 times of Bt emulsion solution.

Fourth, harvesting and processing

(1) harvesting

It is reported that the camptothecin content in different parts of Camptotheca acuminata is also different. Among them, the seed content is 0.03-0.04%, and the bark and root bark are 0.01-0.02%. The harvest period varies with different parts. The fruit is harvested at the maturity of 10— 1 1 month; Root bark and bark can be harvested all year round, but it is better to peel them in autumn; Leaves can be harvested in spring, summer and autumn, but not too many leaves should be harvested in spring and summer, so as not to affect the growth of trees.

(2) Processing

Fruits and leaves can be directly dried after harvesting. Root bark and bark, after harvesting, should first remove the outer rough skin, and then dry or dry, or dry and grind for pharmaceutical use.

Five, seed.

Choose the mature tree with fast growth, good material, straight trees in the afternoon, complete and symmetrical crown, many fruits, no pests and diseases and no mechanical damage as the seed-keeping mother tree. In 10— 1 1 month, the fruits are harvested when they are ripe and light yellow. Knock it off or take it off in balls when collecting, expose it to sunlight for 2 days, remove the fruit stalks and dry it.