Alliaria petiolata
Garlic mustard ( Alliaria petiolata )
The garlic mustard ( Alliaria petiolata ), also garlic herb, leek herb called Knoblauchhederich, is a plant which belongs to the family of cruciferous plants ( Brassicaceae). It is widespread in Europe. The trivial name refers to the garlic scent that is created when grinding the leaves.
- 2.1 Synecology
- 4.1 The Garlic as a medicinal plant
- 4.2 Use as a spice
- 5.1 Literature
- 5.2 Notes and references
Description
Appearance and leaf
The garlic mustard is a two-to perennial herbaceous plant, which reaches stature heights of 20 to 100 centimeters. It has a long tap root. The stalk is weak square, in the basal area, he developed a weak pubescence. The long -stalked, kidney-shaped basal leaves are notched at the edge sinuate. The stem leaves are arranged opposite one another. They have a heart-shaped leaf blade on notched edge.
Inflorescence and flower
The garlic mustard flowers from April to July. In a terminal, racemose inflorescence sit many flowers.
The hermaphrodite flowers are, as is typical for cruciferous vegetables, cruciform and 5-8 millimeters in size. The four petals and four white sepals are free. The flowers have six stamens, of which the two lateral much shorter. At the base of the flower, the base of the stamens, nectar glands are arranged in a ring. The ovary is green and slender, and divided by a septum into two compartments.
Fruit and seeds
The fertilized ovary develops into a pod of three to seven centimeters in length. The pod is thin, unripe green and with only two millimeters in diameter not substantially thicker than the former flower stalk. It contains in each of the two compartments six to eight seeds, which are only about three millimeters long and mature from black-brown color.
With increasing maturity due to the dehydration process then takes place is changing green to light brown, the color of the pod. Is the pod fully mature, tear down the two flaps fruit from the bottom up gradually and eventually fall off. The seeds are not yet dispersed. They are attached with short stalks at the septum of the pod.
Ecology
The garlic mustard is a two year (up stamina ) Hemikryptophyt and a stem plant. It is up to 1 m high, to lean locations but fruiting plants were found only 5 cm in height, which is a good example of the modification width of this kind.
For optimum light utilization, the lower leaves are stalked relatively large and long and upwards significantly smaller and kurzstieliger out.
Synecology
The Garlic provides the nectar that collects at the base of the flower, freely accessible manner. Thus, in addition bees, flies and hoverflies also beetles as pollinators one. In addition to the cross-pollination of garlic mustard self-pollination is possible.
The garlic mustard spread their seeds mainly by Semachorie. If the stalk on which hang the pods diagonally aligned offset from the wind or from past grazing animals or people in motion, the mature seeds are replacing from the pod and be scattered. Like many other plants also has the garlic mustard over several dispersal strategies. When it rains, the seeds become mucilaginous and remain in the coat over grazing animals liable. They are abducted by this strategy, the so-called Epichorie, over a greater distance than by the Semachorie. The vegetative propagation is ensured by underground runners and root sprouts.
The butterfly Speckled Wood ( Pararge aegeria ) sucks like the nectar of garlic mustard. It also serves the Orange Tip ( Anthocharis cardamines ) as a nectar plant and at the same time next to the lady's whose caterpillars as a forage crop. As a fodder crop it also uses the highly endangered flour colored Raukenspanner ( Lithostege farinata ). Polyphagous feed on the caterpillars of the Achateule ( Phlogophora meticulosa ) and the green wire - white body (Pieris napi ) of the garlic mustard. Oligophagous are dependent on the nature of the caterpillars of the crucifer - blade tensioner ( Xanthorhoe designata ) and Commons blade tensioner ( Xanthorhoe fluctuata ).
Occurrence
The Garlic Mustard grows wild in most parts of Europe and the Middle East and comes in places, also in North Africa.
She is actually a species of deciduous forests, but thrives particularly well in bushes and hedges as well as on walls and Wegrainen, in gardens and dumps ( waste places ). It is located there often in the company of nettles. Like these, they appreciate fresh, nitrogen-rich clay soils. Today, it is commonly found in shady parks and trees in urban areas. The garlic mustard is a nitrogen pointer and a half- shade plant. Also in crotches of trees can grow as epiphytes.
The plant kills mycorrhizal fungi. From which again depend seedlings of trees; This is an example of Allelopathie.
The garlic mustard in North America is a neophyte, which is considered as an invasive plant. She is believed to have been abducted by European settlers deliberately as a culinary herb and a medicinal plant to North America ( so-called Ethelochorie ).
Use
The garlic mustard has also played a role as a spice plant in the Middle Ages and the early modern period and fell, as spices cheaper and therefore affordable to all classes of society were, as such into oblivion. Similar to the wild garlic modern kitchen herb garlic mustard increasingly discovered gradually. However, garlic mustard can not be as diverse as use of wild garlic, as the flavor compounds are more volatile.
The Garlic as a medicinal plant
The garlic mustard has been used previously for healing purposes. It has antiseptic, mildly diuretic and expectorant. She was said after moreover also anti-asthmatic properties. In folk medicine, poultices were made to treat insect bites and worm infections from the leaves.
Use as a spice
Garlic mustard ( Alliaria petiolata ) was used as early as 4000 BC in the Mesolithic as a spice, such as phytoliths indicate shards of clay pots from Neustadt in Holstein on the Baltic Sea and Steno in Denmark. Thus, the garlic mustard is the oldest known indigenous spice.
In the Middle Ages, the garlic mustard with its peppery - garlic-like taste, especially of the poorer population was used, the expensive spices could not afford. It has been cultivated in the Middle Ages for this reason even in gardens. To eat the leaves from April to June are collected. The Englishman John Evelyn, the 1699 cookbook " Acetaria, a Discourse on Sallets " wrote, named the plant, among others, " Jack -by-the hedge" - what is to be understood as an indication of its frequency - and " Alliaria " and " sauce alone ". Furthermore, he pointed out that the plant has many valuable medicinal properties and " especially from people in the country will eaten as a salad, where they grow wild among banks and hedges ." Even today, the young leaves of garlic mustard in England are still often used for sandwich fillings.
The pungent taste of garlic mustard is on essential oils and the glucoside Sinigrinzurückzuführen that resembles the glucosides, which are found in other members of the cabbage family. When cooking, however, evaporates the peppery - garlic -like taste. Garlic must therefore be added to food in its raw state. The modern kitchen has rediscovered herbs garlic mustard and mix the finely chopped leaves in salad dressings and cottage cheese or cream cheese mixtures. In addition, the strong tasting flowers are used to decorate savory sorbets and salads. The black seeds of garlic mustard can be similarly used as peppercorns and have a very sharp taste.