Grindelia squarrosa
Grindelia squarrosa
Grindelia squarrosa is a species of the genus Grindelia in the sunflower family ( Asteraceae). The species belongs to the typical vegetation of the grasslands of the Great Plains. She is especially known for its resin, which was used by Native Americans as a remedy, and is now used in homeopathy.
Description
Grindelia squarrosa varies in the form of a two-year to perennial, herbaceous plant up to a subshrub. As a shrub it blooms but usually only in the first year and is short-lived. It reaches heights of growth between 40 and 100 centimeters, rare are very small specimens to 10 centimeters. The chromosome number is 2n = 12
The hairless stem axis is upright and is whitish or streaky, rarely reddish or grayish.
The change-constant leaves are thickened with oval, egg-shaped, inversely egg-shaped or oblong to spatulate, lanceolate or linealischen spreading, which are 15 to 70 millimeters long. They are two to five times as long as wide. The base is more or less amplexicaul. The notched edge of the sheet is cut up, of three to six, to rounded blunt resinous teeth per centimeter. Less common are ganzrandige spreading. The blade tip is blunt or sharpened. Both sides of blade are bald and heavily dotted with glands.
Flowers
The terminal inflorescences are in open or crowded screen grapes, rarely alone. The involucre is wide bottle-shaped, semi- spheroidal or spherical. It measures 6-11 x 8-20 mm. Under the involucre bracts are found, the Phyllarien be called. They are available in five or six rows and are bent back to protrude or pressed. Their form is filiform or linear to lanceolate with flattened or heavily sharpened cross section. The tip is dragged to a hook-like, recurved or rarely almost straight. The Phyllarien are moderate to strong resinous.
The inflorescence contains 24-36 florets, ray florets sometimes missing altogether. The tongues are 8 to 14 millimeters long. The flowering season lasts from July to September.
Fruits
After flowering, the formation of white, striped, brown or gray Achänenfrüchte that are 1.5 to 4.5 millimeters long. The tips are smooth, crown-like or knob -like. The sides are smooth, striated, or furrowed. Each fruit has between two and eight daddy to spread. These are straight, twisted or tangled. The surface is smooth or feinbärtig, with awl-shaped and with bristly scales or awns. The daddy are between 2.5 and 5.5 millimeters long and shorter than the florets.
Dissemination
Grindelia squarrosa thrives on Ödländereien and along roadsides on favors dry soils, but also on wetter ground. On übergrasten areas the species is often forming stands.
Originally the type was probably common in the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. From there she has been spreading and is now spread throughout the United States except the Southeast, southern Canada and northern Mexico. Neophyte has also been confirmed from Ukraine and from Central Germany.
System
In addition to the nominotypischen taxon was still a variety
- G. squarrosa var serrulata G. L. Nesom
Described. It is controversial whether it is. Among plant without ray florets around a separate species G. nuda Wood concerns.
Grindelia squarrosa forms natural hybrids with Grindelia Grindelia arizonica and hirsutula.
Use
Grindelia squarrosa was used by many Native Americans as a medicinal plant. The root extracts used Blackfoot in liver complaints. The Cheyenne put the flowers in a resin skin diseases. Other peoples extracts used in the resin of the plant for colds, stomach ache at or as a contraceptive.
Today the plant is in homeopathy use and is mainly used in asthma and bronchitis.