Gynura procumbens or longevity spinach plant is a type of medicinal plant that
distributes widely in Southeast Asia including Malaysia. G. procumbens is
commonly called as pokok Sambung Nyawa, Sabong Nyawa, Akar Sebiak, or
Kecam Akar by Malaysians; and often consumed as ulam or salad. Thus, there
might be several microorganisms particularly bacteria that still inhabiting the
leaves. Intensive studies on the therapeutic potential of G. procumbens have
indeed been carried out over time. However, studies focusing on the link between
medicinal plants and bacteria that inhabit the plant specifically epiphytic bacteria
on the leaf surface have yet to be fully appreciated. Besides, only one available
study on the diversity of bacteria inhabiting the phyllosphere was available
showing the lack of related studies. Thus, this study aimed to identify epiphytic
bacteria of G. procumbens leaves based on morphology through Gram-staining
and genetics using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing; and to determine the
possible contribution of the bacteria to the medicinal properties of G. procumbens
by further readings. The findings from this research suggested the presence of
five species of bacteria i.e. Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Pantoea
agglomerans, Sphingomonas melonis, and Burkholderia cepacia. From further
readings, it is known that some of the bacterial species have the potentials towards
medicinal applications. Also, it is hypothesised that the production of some
secondary metabolites in the plant might be due to the presence of the bacteria.