Actaea spicata

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Actaea spicata
Illustration Actaea spicata0.jpg
19th century illustration
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Actaea
Species:
A. spicata
Binomial name
Actaea spicata
Synonyms [3]
  • Actaea christophorianaGouan
  • Actaea corymbosaStokes
  • Actaea densifloraM.Král
  • Actaea nigra(L.) P.Gaertn., B.Mey. & Schreb.
  • Christophoriana spicataL.Moench
  • Christophoriana vulgarisRupr.

Actaea spicata, the baneberry [4] or herb Christopher, [5] is a species of flowering plant in the genus Actaea , native from Europe to western Siberia and northern Iran. [3] It is often found on limestone edges and in deciduous woodland; key factors are shade, low competition, and a cool, protected root run. [6]

Contents

Description

Actaea spicata is a herbaceous perennial plant growing up to 65 cm (2 ft 2 in) tall. The basal leaves are large, biternate or bipinnate. The leaflets are more-or-less toothed. The flowers are white, with 3–6 petaloid sepals, and are produced in an erect raceme. The fruit is a berry, black when ripe and 10–13 mm (0.4–0.5 in) across. [7] [8] Its fruit persists for an average of 57.5 days, and bears an average of 11.4 seeds per fruit. Fruits average 90.7% water, and their dry weight includes 2.4% carbohydrates (possibly the lowest of any European fleshy fruit) and 1.0% lipids. [9]

Taxonomy

Ripe berries Actaea-spicata-berries.JPG
Ripe berries

Actaea spicata was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. [2] Two varieties have been recognized: [10]

Ecology

Granivorous rodents sometimes remove the fruits, consuming most of the seeds but only a small proportion of the fruit's pulp. As some seeds inevitably escape predation, they also act as seed dispersers. [11]

Cultivation

Actaea spicata is cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is toxic by ingestion, and is also an irritant, so requires careful handling. [12] It has been used as a homeopathic remedy for arthritis and joint pain. [13]

References

  1. ↑ Schweizer, F.; Hasinger, O. (2014). "Actaea spicata (Europe assessment)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T202913A2757979. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Actaea spicata L." International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens . Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  3. 1 2 "Actaea spicata L.", Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2021-03-26
  4. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls), Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26, retrieved 2021-02-21
  5. ↑ "Herb Christopher", Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, retrieved 2021-02-22
  6. ↑ "Actaea spicata | Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora". www.brc.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  7. ↑ Stace, Clive A. (2019), New Flora of the British Isles (4th ed.), Middlewood Green, Suffolk: C & M Floristics, p. 106, ISBN   978-1-5272-2630-2
  8. ↑ Tutin, T.G. (1993), "Actaea", in Tutin, T.G.; Heywood, V.H.; Burges, N.A.; Valentine, D.H.; Walters, S.M. & Webb, D.A. (eds.), Flora Europaea, Volume 1: Lycopodiaceae to Platanaceae (2nd ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 254, ISBN   0-521-41007-X
  9. ↑ Ehrlén & Eriksson 1991.
  10. ↑ Riedl, Harald & Nasir, Yasin J., "Actaea spicata", Flora of Pakistan (online), retrieved 2021-02-22
  11. ↑ Ehrlén & Eriksson 1993.
  12. ↑ "Actaea spicata". www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  13. ↑ "DailyMed - ARTHRITIS AND JOINT RELIEF- actaea spicata, aesculus hippocastanum, arnica montana, bellis perennis, bryonia, calcarea carbonica, calcarea fluorica, causticum, cimicifuga racemosa, formicum acidum, hypericum perforatum, ledum palustre, lithium carbonicum, magnesia phosphorica, phytolacca decandra, pulsatilla, rhododendron chrysanthum, rhus toxicodendron, ruta graveolens, salicylicum acidum, sepia, zincum metallicum liquid". dailymed.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-26.

Bibliography

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