Lycopus europaeus
Shore Wolfstrapp ( Lycopus europaeus)
The Shore Wolfstrapp ( Lycopus europaeus) is a species of the mint family ( Lamiaceae).
Description
The Shore Wolfstrapp is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches the plant height of 20 to 120 centimeters long and can form underground runners. It has roughly sawn leaves, which can be fiederteilig only the lower.
The almost radiärsymmetrische, fourfold bloom Shore Wolf Trappes has white-colored petals, which are provided with small purple dots. It has two fertile stamens, and in addition sometimes still can be two very short, back formed and barren available. The calyx teeth are longer than the calyx tube, about 2 mm long and always hairy. The ovary is four-piece to the bottom. The Shore Wolfstrapp forms of truncated Klaus fruit.
Ecology
The Shore Wolfstrapp is a Hemikryptophyt ( plant stem ) or a marsh plant. Vegetative propagation as Wurzelkriecher done by underground runners of up to 20 centimeters in length.
He is verschiedenblättrig ( Heterophyllie ), ie the blades are different depending on the location on the stem: The upper ones are lanceolate to ovate; down to the leaves are serrated and deeply sinuate pinnatifid under water. The rhizome is in the water, in the soil often covered with finely divided leaves with water divided Lower leaves.
The flowers Ecologically it is " Actual lip Flowers" in many-flowered, axillary Scheinquirlen ( cymes ), they are united to thyrsi as total inflorescence. The corolla is white with purple Tüpfelsaftmalen, about 3 mm long, slightly dorsiventral, like a funnel and inside by rough cross hairs ( "juice ceiling" cases). Only two dust bags are designed to protrude slightly from the pen of the flower. The flowers are also vormännlich and dreihäusig. The female flowers are much smaller than the male. Nectar is deposited from the discus. Visitors are: wasps, flies, especially hoverflies. Spontaneous self- pollination in hermaphrodite flowers by Einkrümmen the stamens when they reach maturity possible.
The four Klaus fruits are wedge-shaped and initially still connected at the bottom, thus forming a cup-shaped expansion unit - fell on the water - in the cavity retains an air bubble and therefore is buoyant (floating diffusion ). The four association ( schizocarp ) breaks easily, and the small, spherical Klebdrüsen on the curved inner surface of the Klaus fruits are easily visible. It is Klebhafter of water birds, probably animal shakers.
Occurrence
The Shore Wolfstrapp is all over Europe to find parts of western Asia and the temperate areas of eastern North America.
It grows fairly common in the reeds or sedges in stocks, to banks and trenches, in alder. It occurs on different, but mostly temporarily flooded soils. After Ellenberg he is a half- light plant, intermediate - continental spread, a wet hand, a weak acid to weak base pointer, nitrogen-rich sites and preferring a Klassencharakterart the reed beds and sedge marshes ( Phragmitetea australis).
System
The first publication of Lycopus europaeus was made by Carl Linnaeus.
When Shore Wolfstrapp ( Lycopus europaeus) There are two subspecies:
- Common Shore Wolfstrapp ( Lycopus europaeus subsp. Europaeus)
- Soft Shore Wolfstrapp ( Lycopus europaeus subsp. Mollis )
Ingredients and medical use
As a medicinal plant are harvested just before flowering aerial parts. The finished products made from them are used in mild hyperthyroidism and their side effects such as nervousness and palpitations; Further, in mastodynia (pain and tightness in the mammary gland ).
Responsible for the pharmacological effect are believed among other things, the plant present in the phenol carboxylic acids, more specifically, the hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives. They act antigonadotrop and antithyreotrop what could be proved experimentally. Prolactin level in the blood is lowered.
The treatment must not be suddenly interrupted, and it is contraindicated in underactive thyroid and thyroid enlargement without malfunction.