Rheum palmatum

Drawing of Rheum palmatum from William Woodville, James Phillips: Medical botany from 1790

Rheum palmatum is a plant belonging to the family of the buckwheat family ( Polygonaceae ). In German it is called, for example, as Handlappiger rhubarb or ornamental rhubarb.

Features

Rheum palmatum is a big, strong, perennial, herbaceous plant that reaches the plant height of 1.5 to 2 meters. The roots and rhizomes are strong. The stem is hollow and grooved. Its nodes are almost glabrous or prickly. The basal leaves have a long petiole round, which is about as long as the leaf blade and barely warty. The large leaf blade of basal leaves is about as long as wide and measures 40 to 60 centimeters. There are five basal veins present. The heart-shaped leaf base is divided into finger-shaped fiederschnittige cloth. The blade end is pointed or is tapered. The stem leaves become smaller towards the top. The Ochrea are large and can reach up to 15 centimeters. Your outside is prickly.

The inflorescence is a large panicle, whose slightly fluffy hairy branches touch each other, but are not fused together. The 2 to 2.5 mm long peduncle is divided below the middle. The flowers are small. The 6 bracts are usually purple, rare colored yellow- white. The three outer bracts are elliptical to circular shape and having a small size of 1 to 1.5 millimeters. The stamens do not protrude beyond the perianth. The ovary is rhombic - ovate. The pens are easily bent back. The scar is inflated.

The fruit is oblong- ellipsoid to oblong, measuring 8-9 × 7 to 7.5 millimeters. Their wings are about 2.5 millimeters wide and close to its edge, there are longitudinal veins. The seeds are black and brown and broadly ovate.

The flowering time is in China in June. The fruits ripen in August.

Occurrence

The distribution area of Rheum palmatum includes the Chinese provinces of Gansu, Hubei, Nei Mongol, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang and Yunnan. Rheum palmatum grows on slopes and in valleys at altitudes 1500-4400 meters.

Use

The typical ingredients of the roots and rhizomes of Rheum palmatum are anthraquinones, flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins. They are used in phytotherapy as Rhei radix ( rhubarb root ), for example, relieve constipation medicine.