Blitum capitatum
Ähriger strawberry spinach ( Blitum capitatum )
The spiked strawberry spinach ( Blitum capitatum, Chenopodium capitatum Syn ), also called capitate strawberry spinach is an old Vegetable of the genus in the family of Amaranthaceae Blitum. The German name comes from the appearance of the red fruit. The leaves are used like spinach, growing in the leaf axles bright red fruits are edible. Neither leaves nor fruit taste like strawberries.
- 6.1 foods
- 6.2 ornamental plant
- 6.3 Medical Importance
- 7.1 Literature
- 7.2 Notes and references
Description
This annual plant reaches a height of 20 to 60, sometimes to 80 centimeters and forms a basal rosette of leaves from. The whole plant is glabrous or lightly dusted mealy. The stems are erect or ascending, simple or branched. The leaves are drüsenlos and bare. The lower leaves are long-petiolate. The leaf blades are triangular to skewer shaped, slightly toothed or entire, up to seven inches long and turn greenish.
The flowers are in axillary, globular, raspberry -like tangles. You are scarlet or dark red and are used for fruit ripening fleshy. The bracts are entire, and missing on the upper balls. The shape of the flower clusters is a distinction Nourish. The flower stalks and the perianth are bald. There are three to five bloom which are initially herbaceous. You have grown into one quarter to one third. The number of stamens is 0 or 1 flowering period is June to August. The flowers are pollinated by the wind and proterogyn ( Anemogamie ). Cross-pollination with other species is possible when they are nearby.
The fruit ball is five to ten millimeters thick. The fruits are red, juicy and meaty and remember mulberries. The seed is from 0.8 to 1 mm long and 0.6 to 0.9 mm wide, ovate to ellipsoidal and keeled at the base. The seed dispersal is carried out by animals ( endozoochory, Epizoochorie ) and humans ( Hemerochorie ).
The chromosome number is 2n = 18
Occurrence
In Europe, the species is found wild in Spain, Italy, the Balkans, and from France to southern Scandinavia, Finland and southern Russia before, but grows nowhere in natural vegetation. In North America the species in the Rocky Mountains is about very common and grows in damp, shady banks of rivers and lakes, as well as a weed in cultivated land. A home in America and human spread to Europe is therefore very likely. In Central Europe the species is rare and is seldom planted. It grows wild in waste places on fresh, loamy, rich soil of hill and montane zone. In Switzerland, the species is classified as endangered.
Origin and History
When origin is seen Southern Europe and the Orient. In Europe the species is archäobotanisch not been established. The showy plant is absent in all ancient authors as well as in medieval plants directories. The first mention is in the Historia Plantarum Rariorum Carolus Clusius of 1601, which they Sylvestrix as Atriplex referred bacciferae than wild beer bearing registration. It stated that he received seeds of it from Spain. About the various botanical gardens of strawberry spinach enters the private gardens where the leaves were used as spinach vegetables. The strawberry spinach may have been but soon replaced by genuine spinach. In the middle of the 19th century, the strawberry spinach was not performed as cultivated crop. Around the time of 1900 strawberry spinach is rarely found in cultivation. Even today he is almost grown only as a rarity and for decoration because of the red berries. This was hardly Vegetable selected by breeders.
System
The first description was in 1753 by Linnaeus under the name Blitum capitatum in Species Plantarum 1, p 4 Linnaeus summed up this way and the genuine strawberry spinach with fleshy fruits in a separate genus Blitum together. Francesco Ambrosi aged men put the strawberry spinach Chenopodium capitatum in 1857 as the genus Chenopodium ( in: Flora del Tirolo Meridional 2, p.180 ). According to recent molecular genetic studies of spiked strawberry spinach is closer to the genus Spinacia used as the goose feet ( Chenopodium ) in the strict sense. Therefore parted Fuentes - Bazan et al. ( 2012) from him from the genus Chenopodium, and set him in the genus Blitum. This is grouped together with Spinacia in the tribe Anserineae.
Capitatum synonyms for Blitum L., based on the same type specimen, Blitum are virgatum var capitatum (L.) Coss. , Germ. & Wedd. , Chenopodium capitatum (L.) Ambrosi, Chenopodium capitatum (L.) Asch. and Morocarpus capitatus (L.) Scop. As more synonyms Blitum apply petiolare link Blitum tataricum Mill, Blitum terminal Stokes and Chenopodium capitatum var parvicapitatum SLWelsh.
Use
Cultivation and harvesting
Is sown from March to April. In spring, the cover can be advantageous with fleece for earliness. Can also still to harvest again and again by young plants can take place up in July in several sowings. Best location is a light humus soil in full sun or light shade. But he also grows on all other normal soils. Waterlogging and compressed soils are not ideal. The germination time is 5 to 6 days., According to bird but also to 20 days. The distance between the plants is best between 15 and 20 cm by 15 to 20 cm. This can vary from 25 to 35 cm distance of the rows. At the same time should be thinned in the series to 8 to 15 cm so that the plants have enough space to grow. The seed is covered with 2-3 cm of soil. For Are 20 g seed is required. Is thinned at a plant size of 5 cm. The plants obtained by thinning are not well suited for transplant because it is not well tolerated strawberry spinach. While the culture is merely to ensure that competition herbs do not get out of hand. Strawberry Spinach preferred such as rape, pumpkin or buckwheat nitrate - nitrogen. Otherwise, the maintenance of the normal of spinach is similar and should be watered in very dry conditions. This encourages constant growth. So young leaves are continually harvestable until the flowering begins. The first crop is possible after 10 to 12 weeks. In the literature, yields of 80 to 150 are given dt. The income of a solitary plant can be up to 2 kg. The plant can stand up in late autumn, in which case the first fruits, then the remaining leaves are harvested. Frost down to -10 ° C will endure. Strawberry spinach from including themselves and come next spring without any problems.
Propagation
More and more is on generative seeds. Strawberry Spinach is Windbestäuber. Seeds are harvested when the fruits are orange to red. The berries are crushed into a mash and mixed with water. The seeds fall onto the ground are better suited for further propagation.
Diseases and Pests
Since strawberry spinach is not a commercial grown on large areas to keep pests and diseases in check. Almost all diseases that also in the other Gänsefußgewächsen ( Chenopodiaceae ) are possible such as occur spinach.
Use
Food
- Kitchen: The leaves around the rose window are used as cooked spinach summer. The edible red berries are indeed edible, but not very tasty. In strawberry spinach salad is also eaten raw.
- Storage: Stored is strawberry spinach in the refrigerator in a plastic sheet or generally at 0 to 1 ° C and 95 % relative humidity. He can be stored for about a week. Like spinach it is also suitable for freezing.
Ornamental plant
Due to the ornamental value strawberry spinach is often grown as an ornamental plant for decorative purposes.
Medical importance
- Scurvy: Young leaves of strawberry spinach are rich in vitamin C than spinach and served earlier against this lack Erkan Kung.
- Laxative: The boiled and reduced to a pulp leaves are very slightly laxative.
- Pain relief: The cooked leaves were used by North American Indians also used to relieve toothache and rheumatism.