TEPOZÁN: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, TAXONOMY, PROPERTIES - BIOLOGY - 2025

The tepozan (Buddleja cordata) is a species of shrub or tree belonging to the Scrophulariaceae family that can measure up to 20 meters in height, produces panicle-like inflorescences and a dehiscent fruit with winged seeds. It is also known as bull's tongue, black fox stick, tepozán, and white tepozán.

This shrub has a wide distribution in Mexico, it is resistant to drought and adapts to various climatic conditions. Buddleja cordata has an altitude distribution range between 1500 and 3000 meters above sea level. It has been observed growing in different climates, and can also grow in soils that have suffered erosion. It is a fast growing plant.

Tepozán. Ptelea

Regarding its medicinal use, it is a species that can be used for many purposes as a diuretic, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, for the treatment of areas affected with tumors, against bacteria and against amoebas.

Being a fast growing species, it is used as an ornamental species. From the forestry world it is seen as an indicator species of contamination, and with timber importance for the production of good quality paper.

characteristics

Bush

Buddleja cordata is a species that groups both dioecious perennial trees and shrubs between 1 and 20 m high. They have tetrangular twigs, which are dense and tomentose-stellate when they are young branches.

It is a species that grows quickly and is used as an ornamental plant. Furthermore, from the forestry point of view it is a species resistant to contamination.

Leaf

The leaves have stipular lines, which can sometimes be folious. Supporting the leaf, the petiole is 1 to 7 cm long; the blade is lanceolate, oblong, ovate-elliptical and measures between 5.5 and 24 cm in length and 1.5 to 10.5 cm in width. The apex of the leaf is acute and acuminate.

As for the margin, it can be whole, serrated, serrulated, or sometimes even serrated. The base of the blade is obtuse, wedged and cordate. Sometimes it is truncated or oblique.

Buddleja cordata leaves. Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz

On the other hand, the rib is prominent on the underside, and the texture of the leaf is a little leathery. On the underside, it also has a dense pubescence, which has applied stellate trichomes, and very lax, large, candelabriform and with a bright white color.

Inflorescence

The inflorescences are formed by large terminal panicles measuring between 14 and 32 cm long, which branch between 2 and 4 times, in addition to having a bract on each branch.

The flowers have a yellow corolla, usually with an orange hue in the throat, are bell-shaped, and a tomentose calyx that is 1.5 to 3 mm long.

The corolla is between 3 and 4 mm long, has four extended lobes longer than the tube, these are oblong and overlapping on the button. The lobes have pubescence both externally and internally.

Panicles of the tepozan. Ptelea

The stamens are subsessile, sometimes with short, strong filaments. Regarding the gynoecium, the ovary is ovoid, with a conspicuous style, a claviform stigma, and slightly bilabiate.

Flowering has been observed from May to March, and probably throughout the year, being more frequent from July to February.

Fruit

The fruit of this plant has an ovoid-ellipsoid shape of 2.5 to 6 mm in length and 1.5 to 4 mm in diameter. Additionally, the fruit has septicidal and loculicidal dehiscence, and contains many winged seeds that are 1–1.5 mm long and 0.2–0.4 mm wide.

Habitat and distribution

Buddleja cordata can appear in Quercus forests, forests of coniferous species, in medium mountain areas, and in secondary vegetation. In turn, this plant species is found together with the Alnus acuminata ssp. glabrata.

Tepozan can also grow tolerant of drought conditions; therefore it can grow and develop in xerophytic areas and in soils that have suffered erosion. It grows between 1500 and 3000 meters above sea level, with temperatures between 6.5 and 22 ° C.

Its presence has been reported in a temperate sub-humid climate, and in a temperate sub-humid climate with precipitation in summer. It has also been found in temperate semi-dry climate with precipitation in summer.

The distribution range of this species is from northern Mexico to Guatemala. Likewise, it has been found in some countries in South America.

Flores del Tepozán. Andrew Brookes

The type of soil where it grows is pelic vertisol and calcareous feozem, it also grows in places where there is a predominance of limestone rocks and shales; also in andosols and lithosols soils.

For its part, the most widely distributed stages of B. cordata correspond to seedlings, children and juveniles in 86%.

Taxonomy

This species is a vascular plant of the Lamiales order where mint, acanthus, verbenas and related are also found.

Tepozán sheet. Krzysztof Golik

The tepozan was described by Kunth in 1818. Its taxonomic classification is as follows:

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Phylum: Tracheophyta
• Class: Magnoliopsida
• Order: Lamiales
• Family: Scrophulariaceae
• Genus: Buddleja
• Species: Buddleja cordata

Additionally, tepozan has the synonyms Buddleja astralis, and Buddleja acuminata.

Medicinal properties

As for its use in traditional medicine, it is applied for various diseases. It has had records of its analgesic, eupeptic, diuretic, antiseptic properties, and it is also used to treat cirrhosis, bile, repair of the uterus and eyes. It can be used in the form of infusion and ointment, with the leaves, roots and bark in cooking.

Bark of the Tepozán. Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz

This plant can also help heal skin or organs that have had tumors and ulcers. For its part, in its phytochemical properties it has been shown that in all the parts that make up this plant (seeds, bark, leaves, roots) there are properties that have effects against bacteria and amoebae.

In this sense, B. cordata has flavones such as linarin, acetyl vanillic acid as an amebicidal compound, and verbacoside as an antimicrobial compound, since it is believed that it inhibits the admission of leucine, and therefore protein synthesis.

However, in addition to these uses in traditional medicine, the propagation of Buddleja cordata as a timber species for the production of paper has also been studied, since this species has a wide geographical distribution and can adapt to diverse environmental conditions.

References

1. Romero Rangel, S., Aguilar Rodríguez, S., Rojas Zenteno, E. 2003. Buddleja cordata HBK ssp. cordata (Buddlejaceae): propagation and anatomy of wood. Polybotany 16: 63-77.
2. Tropics. 2019. Buddleja cordata Kunth. Taken from: tropicos.org
3. Catalog of Life. 2019. Species details: Buddleja cordata Kunth. Taken from: catalogueoflife.org
4. Encyclopedic. 2019. White Tepozan (Buddleja cordata). Taken from: enciclovida.mx
5. Camacho, D., Hernández, S., Morfín, L. 2009. Tepozán (Buddleja cordata). PAPIME PE205907 project. FESC-UNAM. Taken from: avalon.cuautitlan.unam.mx