Cnidium

Silaublättrige cnidium ( Cnidium silaifolium )

The Cnidium ( Cnidium ) are a genus of flowering plants in the carrot family ( Apiaceae ).

Description

In Cnidium species are mostly perennial, sometimes two or rarely annual herbaceous plants. They usually make one, rarely more, slender stems.

The alternate arranged leaves are divided into leaf sheath, petiole and leaf blade. The basal leaves are two to three pinnate or one to two times, with the Endfiederabschnitte, rare are usually quite narrow, linear lanceolate or linear and oval. The stem leaves are gradually reduced, smaller, and sit on an extended leaf sheath.

The terminal and lateral, long-stemmed, doppeldoldigen inflorescences contain many flowers. The linealischen or narrow lanceolate bracts are several and do not fall off in most species. Also linealische Hüllchenblätter exist. The flowers are hermaphrodite. Sepals mostly do not exist; from time to time they are available, but tiny. The white or reddish crowded petals are narrowed wedge-shaped at the base, and notched at the top and exactly in the notch a back curved, narrow lobes goes off.

The oval to nearly roundish, slightly flattened fruits have five weak winged ribs, the lateral ribs are slightly wider.

Occurrence

The genus Cnidium is approximately six to eleven species in the temperate and cooler regions of Europe and Asia spread, depending on the genus in North America view. In Central Europe only Cnidium dubium are and find Cnidium silaifolium. In China, five species occur, one of them only there.

Most species occur in open spots in front as on grasslands, on the edges or on the coast, so they prefer not too dry locations.

System

Whether a clear delineation of the genus Cnidium ( Cnidium ) to closely related genera, in particular to the Silgen ( Selinum ) is possible is unclear. Some authors therefore a summary of the two genera is advocated under Selinum. Due to the unclear distinction from similar genera the genus consists of, depending on the author's opinion between six and about 20 species.

Cnidium species ( selection):

• Cnidium bhutanicum M.F.Watson
• Cnidium cnidiifolium ( Turcz. ) Schischk.
• Cnidium dauricum ( Jacquin ) fish. & C.A.Meyer
• Cnidium divaricatum ( Jacq. ) Ledeb.
• Ordinary cnidium or marsh cnidium ( Cnidium dubium ( Schkuhr ) Thell. )
• Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson: it originates from eastern Asia. Its seeds are used as medicine and as an aphrodisiac.
• Cnidium japonicum Miquel
• Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson: Cnidium monnieri var formosanum ( Y.Yabe ) Kitagawa
• Cnidium monnieri ( CBClarke ) Ridley var monnieri

No longer belongs to this genus:

• The East Asian medicinal plant Cnidium officinale Makino → Ligusticum officinale ( Makino ) Kitag.

Swell

• Pu Fading (溥 发 鼎) & Mark F. Watson: Cnidium, pp. 136 - text the same online as printed work, In: Wu Zheng -yi and Peter H. Raven (eds.): Flora of China, Volume 14 - Apiaceae through Ericaceae, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and St. Louis, February 11, 2005. ISBN 1-930723-41-5. (Section Description, distribution and systematics)
• Henning Haeupler, Thomas Muer: Image Atlas of ferns and flowering plants in Germany. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3364-4.