Polygonatum

True Solomon's Seal ( Polygonatum odoratum )

The White Wurzen ( Polygonatum ), individual species also known as Solomon's seal or joint sausages, a plant genus of the family of asparagus plants are ( Asparagaceae ). It includes about 60 species that grow in the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere. Especially the cultivated varieties are also referred to as " bells under the roof ."

Description

The Polygonatum species are perennial herbaceous plants. There are rhizomatous, sympodial branching plants that usually are rooted in the earth, but also rarely epiphytic life. Are formed as outlasting most knotty, branched rhizomes. The roots are fine to fleshy. The simple, unbranched, hairy or hairless stalks grows upright, bent back, sometimes more or less climbing. The opposite, alternate and distichous also trailing distributed to the stems down to spiral in part or in whorls, the tip leaves are arranged laterally and pseudo terminal sessile or on short petioles. The simple leaf blades ovate to linear with a smooth margin.

The flowers are in the axils of the upper leaves individually or too few (usually 1 to 10, rarely up to 15) in racemose inflorescences together. Bracts can occur when they are present, they are herbaceous, membranous or papery, are stable or falling.

The flowers hang mostly, they rarely stand up to the flower stems, which are structured towards the tip. The hermaphrodite flowers are triple. The six equally diverse bloom until at least half their length cylindrical tube amps to grow together. There are six stamens present, which do not protrude from the bloom cladding. The stamens are fused in the middle with the Perigonröhre, the detached part is filiform or flattened, short or long, smooth, papillose or hairy. The inturned anthers are fixed to the base or the back of the filaments, and free base is bilobate. Three carpels are fused into a superior ovaries. Each of the three ovary chambers contain two to eight ovules. The slim style ends in a small, capitate to dreilappigigen scar. There are Septalnektarien available.

The spherical, fleshy berries contain several (up to more than ten) seeds when ripe and have colors from dark - blue to black, rarely red. The more or less spherical seeds have a diameter of 3 to 4.5 mm and are light yellowish to brownish- olive color.

Types (selection)

There are a total of about 60 species of Polygonatum. In China, one finds 39, of which only 20 are on there.

In Central Europe the following species are found:

• The Quirlblättrige 's seal ( Polygonatum verticillatum (L. ) All. ): in shady mountain forests, humid forests
• The Fragrant Weißwurz or True Solomon's Seal ( Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce ): with angular stems, in heat beneficiary, dry fringe communities on forest edges
• The Solomon's Wurz ( Polygonatum multiflorum (L. ) All. ): with a rounded stems, in deciduous forests
• The floodplain 's seal ( Polygonatum latifolium ( Jacq. ) Desf. ): in shady thickets (not in Germany )

In North America there are only three ways:

• Polygonatum biflorum (Walter ) Elliott
• Polygonatum pubescens ( Willd.) Pursh
• Polygonatum latifolium ( Jacq. ) Desf.

Polygonatum multiflorum and others as ornamental plants cultivated hybrids have run wild in some parts of North America.

Swell

• Chen Xinqi & Minoru N. Tamura: Polygonatum in the Flora of China, Volume 24, pp. 223-232: Online.
• Frederick H. Utech: Polygonatum in the Flora of North America, Volume 19, pp. 210: Online.