Along with Drypetes (of the same family), it contains mustard oils as a chemical defense against herbivores.[3] The ability to produce glucosinolates is believed to have evolved only twice, in the Putranjivaceae and the Brassicales.[3]
^ abPamela S. Soltis and Douglas E. Soltis (2004), "The origin and diversification of angiosperms", American Journal of Botany, 91 (10): 1614–1626, doi:10.3732/ajb.91.10.1614, PMID21652312