Arctium

Burdock ( Arctium lappa )

The burdock ( Arctium ) constitute a genus in the subfamily Carduoideae within the sunflower family ( Asteraceae). The approximately 10 to 14 species are widespread in Eurasia and North Africa. Some species are neophytes world.

Etymology

Probably from the Greek árcteion ( the bear ) derived genus name is already found in Dioscorides. The species name lappa is called by Pliny as another generic name. Derived from the Greek Labein ( take ) hold, he points to the to the clothes (even the fur of animals, and the like) firmly adhering fruit.

Description

Arctium species are always hapaxanthe plants: two or perennial herbaceous plants that reach heights of growth from 50 to 300 centimeters. The upright stems are often branched. The stalked leaves have a smooth or serrated leaf edge and are usually hairy.

In the nearly spherical, basket- shaped inflorescences are only ( five to ) 20 to 40 (or more) hermaphrodite tubular flowers available. The tubular flowers are five pink to purple petals grown together.

The achenes have a white pappus.

Curative effect

The traditional folk medicine writes of burdock to a diuretic and blood cleansing effect. Even against joint rheumatism, ulcers, stomach problems, hair loss, dandruff, bad skin, uterine prolapse and for wound healing, it was recommended earlier.

Be used in the fall of the first or collected and dried in the spring of the second year roots of burdock ( Arctium lappa, Arctium majus also ) as well as small burdock ( Arctium minus) and the felt - Burdock ( Arctium tomentosum ). Be Velcro roots, rarely, in the trade as Bardanae radix ( syn. Bardanae Radix, Radix Arctii, Radix lappae ) offered.

Ingredients are lignans, including Arctiin, inulin ( Arctium lappa 45-70 %, 20-27 % Arctium minus, Arctium tomentosum to 19 %), mucilage, small amounts of essential oil, polyynes, caffeic acid derivatives and sesquiterpene lactones, it is the Arctiopicrin which belongs to the subgroup of Germacranoliden and leads to a contact dermatitis.

For internal use, is an infusion of chopped burdock root, sometimes from fresh or dried above-ground parts of plants. Externally, burdock root oil is used against seborrhea, and as a hair restorer. From the use during pregnancy is not recommended.

System

The genus Arctium was erected in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum, 2, p 816. Type species Arctium lappa L. is. A homonym is Arctium Lam. ( in Lamarck: p 70 published Flore Françoise 2, 1778/9 ). Synonyms for Arctium Lappa L. are Bardana Hill and Scop ..

The genus belongs to the subtribe Arctium Carduinae from the tribe Cardueae Asteraceae in the subfamily Carduoideae within the Asteraceae family. The monophyletic Arctium - Cousinia complex contains to S. López- Vinyallonga et al. 2009, the species of the genera Arctium L., Cousinia Cass. (over 600 species), Hypacanthium Juz. (two species) and the monotypic Schmalhausenia C.Winkl ..

There are about 10 to 14 Arctium spp:

  • Arctium atlanticum ( Pomel ) H.Lindb.
  • Arctium debrayi Senay
  • Burdock ( Arctium lappa L., Syn: Arctium edule Beger, Arctium majus ( Gaertn. ) Bernh, Lappa edulis sieve ex Miq, nom inval, Lappa major Gaertn, Lappa officinalis All. .. .. .. )
  • Arctium leiobardanum Juz. & C.Serg. ex Stepanov
  • Lesser Burdock or Downy Burdock ( Arctium minus ( Hill ) Bernh, Syn. Arctium pubens Bab, Lappa minor Hill. )
  • Hain- burdock or floodplain burdock ( Arctium nemorosum Lej. ): You will be counted as a synonym for some of Arctium lappa.
  • Arctium neumanii ( Rouy ) Rouy
  • Arctium palladinii ( Markow. ) R. E. Fr et al.
  • Arctium platylepis ( Boiss. & Balansa ) SOSN. ex Grossh.
  • Arctium pseudarctium ( Bornm. ) Duist.
  • Arctium sardaimionense Rassulova & B. A. Sharipova
  • Arctium scanicum ( Rouy ) Rouy
  • Felt or Woolly Burdock Burdock, cobweb Burdock ( Arctium tomentosum Mill )

We have described some natural hybrids:

  • Arctium × ambiguum ( Čelak. ) Nyman
  • Arctium × batavum Arenes
  • Arctium × Bretonii Rouy
  • Arctium × mixtum ( Simonk. ) Nyman
  • Arctium × nothum ( Ruhmer ) J.Weiss

However, the species of cocklebur ( Xanthium L.) is not in the genus Arctium, they are not even in the same subfamily.

Swell

  • David J. Keil: Arctium. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee ( eds.): Flora of North America North of Mexico. Volume 19: Magnoliophyta: unranked, part 6: Asteraceae, part 1 ( Mutisieae - Anthemideae ), Oxford University Press, New York / Oxford et al 2006, ISBN 0-19-530563-9, pp. 168, text online now as printed work (Section Description and dissemination ).
  • Peter D. Sell, Gina Murrell: Flora of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume 4 Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2006, ISBN 0-521-55338-5, p 70, limited preview on Google Book Search
  • Sara López- Vinyallonga1, Iraj Mehregan, Núria Garcia- Jaca, Olga Tscherneva, Alfonso Susanna, Joachim W. Kadereit: Phylogeny and evolution of the Arctium - Cousinia complex ( Compositae, Cardueae - Carduinae ). In: taxon. Volume 58, No. 1, 2009, pp. 153-171, PDF.
Pappus (flower structure)
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