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
Plants of the World Online includes:
 * 1) Curculigo annamitica Gagnep.  – Vietnam
 * 2) Curculigo breviscapa S.C.Chen – China (Guangxi, Guangdong)
 * 3) Curculigo capitulata (Lour.) Kuntze
 * 4) Curculigo conoc Gagnep. – Vietnam
 * 5) Curculigo crassifolia (Baker) Hook.f.
 * 6) Curculigo disticha Gagnep. – Vietnam
 * 7) Curculigo ensifolia R.Br. – Australia
 * 8) Curculigo erecta Lauterb. – Philippines, Sumatra, New Guinea, Solomon Islands
 * 9) Curculigo fabrei Hul
 * 10) Curculigo fakimensis (Odyuo, D.K.Roy & Khamdi) Christenh. & Byng
 * 11) Curculigo gracilis (Kurz) Wall. ex Hook.f.
 * 12) Curculigo janarthanamii R.D. Gore & S.P.Gaikwad – India
 * 13) Curculigo latifolia Dryand. ex W.T.Aiton
 * 14) Curculigo maharashtrensis M.R.Almeida & S.Yadav – Maharashtra
 * 15) Curculigo maheensis (F.Friedmann) Christenh. & Byng
 * 16) Curculigo oligantha (C.E.C.Fisch.) Bennet & Raizada
 * 17) Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. – China, Japan, Indian Subcontinent, Papuasia, Micronesia
 * 18) Curculigo pilosa (Schumach. & Thonn.) Engl. – tropical Africa, Madagascar
 * 19) Curculigo prainiana (Deb) Bennet & Raizada
 * 20) Curculigo racemosa Ridl. – Borneo
 * 21) Curculigo rhizophylla (Baker) T.Durand & Schinz
 * 22) Curculigo sabui S.P. Gaikwad & Gore  – India
 * 23) Curculigo savantwadiensis M.R.Almeida & S.Yadav – Maharashtra
 * 24) Curculigo scorzonerifolia (Lam.) Baker – southern Mexico, Central America, West Indies, northern South America
 * 25) Curculigo seychellensis Bojer ex Baker – Seychelles
 * 26) Curculigo sinensis S.C.Chen – China (Yunnan)
 * 27) Curculigo tonkinensis Gagnep.  – Vietnam
 * 28) Curculigo trichocarpa (Wight) Bennet & Raizada