Andersonglossum virginianum

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Andersonglossum virginianum
Cynoglossum virginianum - Wild Comfrey.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Boraginales
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Andersonglossum
Species:
A. virginianum
Binomial name
Andersonglossum virginianum
(L.) J.I.Cohen

Andersonglossum virginianum, known as southern wild comfrey, [1] is a flowering plant in the borage family native to North America. [2] [3] It is also sometimes called blue houndstongue.

Contents

Formerly placed in the genus Cynoglossum , it was transferred to the genus Andersonglossum in 2015. [4]

Distribution

Andersonglossum virginianum is native to the Eastern United States. [1] [3] It densely populates the central and southeastern parts of the U.S. and is often found in open uplands, such as in southern New England, from New York to Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and from the south to Florida. [3] A closely related species, Andersonglossum boreale is disappearing from the southern part of its range in the United States. [5]

Description

Andersonglossum virginianum is an erect, unbranched perennial with rough fine hair on its leaves and stem. Their leaves are simple, entire, and have an alternate pattern. The leaves are denser at the lower end of the stem and they get smaller going up the stem. It has two to six racemes. The flowers have five deep lobes that are connected to a superior ovary which in turn is connected to the style. The flowers have rounded, light blue corollas that overlap each other. The corollas alternate with stamen with anthers.

Unlike A. virginianum, Andersonglossum boreale has petioles on its cauline leaves and its corolla lobes are not rounded and do not overlap. It, in general, is a smaller plant. [5] [6]

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids, hepatoxins capable of affecting grazing animals and humans, are synthesized by many borages including Andersonglossum officinale. Presumably this provides some protection against generalist herbivores. [7] Botanists suspect that C. virginianum may also contain some of these alkaloids. [5] [7]

Leaves

Reproduction

Andersonglossum virginianum forms above-ground foliage from a taproot every spring around May. Plants that do not flower grow more leaves in a rosette. The flowering stem grows from the center of the rosette. It is a monoecious plant which is self-compatible. It flowers from May to June and produces fruits from July to August. The flowers produce four grayish brown seeds that adhere to animals. [5] [9]

Flowers
Fruit

Medicinal uses

Herbalists from the nineteenth-century have suggested that A. virginianum may possibly be a replacement or a substitute for Symphytum officinale (also known as comfrey). For a long time, A. virginianum has been used to help treat wounds and to flush out any internal digestive disorders and respiratory infections. It also acts as a sedative medication.[ citation needed ]

Because of one of the active substances in the plant, large doses of it should not be taken because it can cause liver problems. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boraginaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-notfamily, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution.

<i>Symphytum</i> Genus of flowering plants in the borage family Boraginaceae

Symphytum is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family, Boraginaceae. There are up to 35 species, known by the common name comfrey. Some species and hybrids, particularly S. officinale, Symphytum grandiflorum, and S. × uplandicum, are used in gardening and herbal medicine. They are not to be confused with Andersonglossum virginianum, known as wild comfrey, another member of the borage family.

<i>Viburnum lentago</i> Species of flowering plant

Viburnum lentago, the nannyberry, sheepberry, or sweet viburnum, is a species of Viburnum native to North America.

<i>Pulmonaria</i> Genus of flowering plants in the borage family Boraginaceae

Pulmonaria (lungwort) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae, native to Europe and western Asia, with one species east to central Asia. According to various estimates there may be between 10 and 18 species found in the wild.

<i>Campanula cervicaria</i> Species of flowering plant in the bellflower family Campanulaceae

Campanula cervicaria, the bristly bellflower, is a species of flowering plant in the bellflower family Campanulaceae. The plant is roughly hairy and the flowers are about 1–2 centimetres (0.4–0.8 in) long, light blue and are grouped together.

<i>Trachelospermum jasminoides</i> Species of vine

Trachelospermum jasminoides is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae, native to eastern and southeastern Asia. Common names include confederate jasmine, southern jasmine, star jasmine, confederate jessamine, and Chinese star jasmine.

<i>Cynoglossum officinale</i> Species of flowering plant

Cynoglossum officinale is a herbaceous plant of the family Boraginaceae.

<i>Campanula patula</i> Species of flowering plant

Campanula patula or spreading bellflower is a plant species of the genus Campanula. It can grow to more than half a meter high. This delicate bellflower bears lateral branches of pale blue or white flowers that are upright and funnel shaped. The leaves are narrow and pointed. Branches are often supported by the surrounding vegetation, so the plants can appear prostrate. The main difference between this and other bellflowers is that the petals in the bell are spread out and more pointed and this gives this species its common name.

<i>Gentianella amarella</i> Species of plant

Gentianella amarella, the autumn gentian, autumn dwarf gentian, or autumn felwort, is a short biennial plant flowering plant in the gentian family, Gentianaceae. It is found throughout Northern Europe, the western and northern United States, and Canada.

<i>Symphytum officinale</i> Species of flowering plant in the borage family Boraginaceae

Symphytum officinale is a perennial flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. Along with thirty four other species of Symphytum, it is known as comfrey. To differentiate it from other members of the genus Symphytum, this species is known as common comfrey or true comfrey. Other English names include Quaker comfrey, cultivated comfrey, boneset, knitbone, consound, and slippery-root. It is native to Europe, growing in damp, grassy places. It is locally frequent throughout Ireland and Britain on river banks and ditches. It occurs elsewhere, including North America, as an introduced species and sometimes a weed. The flowers are mostly visited by bumblebees. Internal or long-term topical use of comfrey is discouraged due to its strong potential to cause liver toxicity.

<i>Lappula squarrosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Lappula squarrosa is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by several common names, including European stickseed, bur forget-me-not, bluebur, and bristly sheepbur. It is native to Europe and Asia, where it is common, and it is an introduced species in much of North America and Africa. It is well known as a noxious weed where it is naturalized and also in many parts of its native range. This is an annual herb producing an erect stem often with sprays of many long, bending branches, its form varying in different regions and climates. The plant may approach a meter in height. The stems are lined with linear to oval leaves up to 5 centimeters long and coated in whitish hairs, and the herbage emits a scent generally considered unpleasant. The inflorescence is a long, leafy raceme of tiny flowers near the ends of the branches. Each flower is 2 to 4 millimeters wide with five light blue corolla lobes. White-flowered plants are occasionally seen. The fruit is a cluster of four nutlets which are coated in hooked prickles. The seeds are dispersed when the prickles get caught on animal coats and human clothing, and when they are moved by wind.

<i>Romanzoffia sitchensis</i> Species of plant

Romanzoffia sitchensis is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Sitka mistmaiden. It is native to western North America from Alaska through British Columbia and Alberta to far northern California and Montana.

<i>Frasera albicaulis</i> Species of plant

Frasera albicaulis is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common name whitestem frasera. It is native to the northwestern United States, where it grows in open areas in mountain habitat. It is a perennial herb growing from a woody base surrounded by rosettes of leaves, its stem growing 10 to 70 centimeters tall. The leaves are green with white margins. The basal leaves are lance-shaped, up to 30 centimeters long, and borne on petioles. Leaves higher on the stem are smaller and narrower and are oppositely arranged. The inflorescence is a dense panicle atop the stem, sometimes interrupted into a series of clusters of flowers. Each flower has a calyx of four pointed sepals and a corolla of four pointed lobes each one half to one centimeter long. The corolla is pale greenish white to light blue to purple, often dotted, streaked, or veined with darker blue. There are four stamens tipped with large anthers and a central ovary.

<i>Swertia perennis</i> Species of flowering plant

Swertia perennis is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common names felwort and star swertia. It is native to several regions of the northern hemisphere, including much of Eurasia and western North America. It is a plant of wetlands, particularly calcareous fens. It is common to abundant in many areas, but it is known to be negatively impacted by habitat fragmentation and other habitat destruction, and human activity has led to its extirpation from some areas where it was once common. It is a perennial herb producing usually one erect stem growing 10 to 50 centimeters tall. The basal leaves are spoon-shaped with rounded tips, and leaves higher on the plant are widely lance-shaped or somewhat oval, with pointed tips. The inflorescence is an open panicle of flowers atop the stem. Each flower has a calyx of four or five pointed sepals and a corolla of four or five pointed lobes each up to 1.3 centimeters long. The corolla is dull blue to violet in color with darker purplish veining or stippling. There are two rounded nectary pits at the base of each lobe of the corolla. Stamens tipped with large anthers surround a central ovary.

<i>Phacelia argillacea</i> Species of plant

Phacelia argillacea is a rare species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names clay phacelia and Atwood's phacelia. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from one canyon in Utah County. It is "one of Utah's most endangered species"; it is "one of the nation's rarest plants" and is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.

<i>Veronica bullii</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

Veronica bullii is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names kittentails and Bull's coraldrops. It is native to the Upper Midwest of the United States, including the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota.

<i>Centrosema virginianum</i> Species of legume

Centrosema virginianum is known by the common names of Spurred Butterfly Pea, wild blue vine, blue bell, and wild pea. C. virginianum is a member of the family Fabaceae, it is identified by its trailing and twining vine and showy flowers. C. virginianum habitats are in sunny areas within pine lands, and coastal uplands.

<i>Hydrophyllum appendiculatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Hydrophyllum appendiculatum, commonly known as great waterleaf, appendage waterleaf,, or woolen breeches, is a species of plant in the Boraginaceae (borage) family. It is native to central and eastern North America where it is found primarily in the Midwest and Upper South of the United States. It is a biennial that produces lavender-colored flowers in late spring and early summer.

<i>Andersonglossum boreale</i> Species of flowering plant

Andersonglossum boreale, known as northern wild comfrey or just wild comfrey, is a species of flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae. It is native to boreal coniferous and mixed forests in North America, from Nova Scotia to British Columbia and Yukon in Canada, south to New Jersey and Indiana in the United States. It is often found in rocky or sandy soils. It is extirpated from many of the southern parts of its range.

<i>Andersonglossum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Andersonglossum is a small genus of North American plants in the borage family (Boraginaceae). They are commonly called American comfreys, wild comfreys, or hound's tongues.

References

  1. 1 2 Weakley, Alan S. (2020), Flora of the Southeastern United States, University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  2. "Andersonglossum virginianum (L.) J.I.Cohen". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "USDA: Cynoglossum virginianum distribution map".
  4. "Andersonglossum virginianum (L.) J.I.Cohen". ipni.org. International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Conservation Assessment for Northern Wild Comfrey (Cynoglossum virginianum var. boreale (Fern.)Cooperrider)" (PDF). USDA Forest Service, Eastern Region. July 2005.
  6. 1 2 A.Gleason, Henry (1963). Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. New York: D. Van Nostrand Company, INC. p. 576.
  7. 1 2 Shen, X; Bourg, NA; McShea, WJ; Turner, BL (March 28, 2016). "Long-Term Effects of White-Tailed Deer Exclusion on the Invasion of Exotic Plants: A Case Study in a Mid-Atlantic Temperate Forest". PLOS ONE. 11 (c): e0151825. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1151825S. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151825 . PMC   4809546 . PMID   27019356.
  8. Britton, Nathaniel (1970). An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada . New York: Dover Publications, INC. pp.  76. ISBN   9780486226422.
  9. 1 2 D.Cox, Donald (1985). Common Flowering Plants of the Northeast. Albany: State University of New York. p. 46. ISBN   978-0-87395-889-9.
  10. "2bnthewild.com: Wild Comfrey (Cynoglossum virginianum)" . Retrieved 6 July 2012.