Chlorogalum

Last updated

Chlorogalum
Soap plant, Amole
Chlorogalum pomeridianum (soap root plant) (7155017691).jpg
Chlorogalum pomeridianum
Wavy-leafed soap plant
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Agavoideae
Genus: Chlorogalum
(Lindl.) Kunth
Synonyms [1] [2]
  • LaothoeRaf.
  • Ornithogalum section ChlorogalumLindl. [3]

The common names soap plant, soaproot and amole refer to the genus Chlorogalum. They are native to western North America, with some species in Oregon but they are mostly found in California. Common names of the genus and several species derive from their use as soap.

Contents

Soap plants are perennial plants, with more or less elongated bulbs, depending on the species. The bulbs can be white or brown, and in most species have a fibrous coat. The flowers are borne on a long central stem, and appear to have six separate petals (not all are petals in the technical sense). There are six stamens, which are prominent in most species.

Taxonomy

The placement of the genus Chlorogalum has varied considerably. In the APG III system, followed here, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae, based on molecular systematics evidence. [4] The second edition of the Jepson Manual places the genus in Agavaceae (equivalent to the APG III subfamily Agavoideae). [5] Until the 1980s, the genus was generally treated in the Lily family, Liliaceae, in the order Liliales, e.g. the Flora of North America, published in 1993 onwards, has Chlorogalum in Liliaceae. [6] The genus has also been placed in its own family, Chorogalaceae, or in a group within the hyacinth family Hyacinthaceae (now Scilloideae), in the order Asparagales. In 1999, phylogenetic studies based on molecular evidence, suggested that, along with Camassia , Chlorogalum seemed to be most closely related to Agave and Anthericum . [7]

The members of the genus with diurnal flowering and a chromosome count of 2n = 60 were placed into their own genus, Hooveria after phylogenetic molecular research showed that Chlorogalum was not monophyletic. [8]

Species

Five species are currently classified in the genus. [1] All except the Wavy-leafed Soap Plant, Chlorogalum pomeridianum, have rather restricted distributions, with little overlap. The Wavy-leafed Soap Plant, however, has a range that virtually encompasses those of all other members of the genus, and is the most common of them.

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Chlorogalum angustifolium.jpg Chlorogalum angustifolium Narrow-leaf Soap Plantinner north Pacific Coast Ranges of California and southern Oregon and the Sierra Nevada foothills
Chlorogalumgrandiflorum.jpg Chlorogalum grandiflorum Red Hills Soaprootnorth and central Sierra Nevada foothills
Chlorogalumpomeridianum.jpg Chlorogalum pomeridianum Wavy-leafed Soap Plantanywhere in California except the higher Sierra Nevada and the deserts, and also in south-western Oregon

Formerly included: [8]

Uses

Soap plant growing in the forest Chlorogalum pomeridianum aka Soap Plant.JPG
Soap plant growing in the forest

The fibers surrounding the bulb were widely used, bound together, to make small brushes. Extracts of the bulbs could also be used as a sealant or glue.

Cleansing

At least two of the species are used for detergent properties by Native Americans and early European settlers, specifically the C. pomeridianum by tribes including Miwok, [9] and the C. angustifolium by the Karuk people . [10] The juices of the bulb contain saponins that form a lather when mixed with water, [11] making the bulbs useful as a kind of soap. This is the origin of several of the plants' common names. It was particularly used for washing hair, since C. pomeridianum at least was held to be effective against dandruff. [12]

Cuisine

The young leaves of certain species can be used as food, but the saponins in the bulbs make these poisonous. However saponins are very poorly absorbed by the body and usually[ original research? ] pass straight through, and in any case they can be destroyed by thorough cooking. The Miwok and Chumash [13] people roasted and ate the bulbs as a winter food. [12] In February 1847 Patrick Breen of the ill-fated Donner Party recorded that a Native American gave the starving settler some "roots resembling Onions in shape [that] taste some like a sweet potatoe[ sic ], all full of little tough fibres." Breen's son later called the roots "California soap-root"—almost certainly C. pomeridianum.

Saponins are much more toxic to some other animals than they are to humans.[ original research? ] Fish are particularly susceptible, and the bulb juices were used to kill or stun them so they could be caught easily.[ citation needed ]

Medicinal

The bulbs also had various medicinal uses, both external (e.g., for making a poultice to be used as an antiseptic, or as a rub in cases of rheumatism) and internal (decoctions were used for a range of purposes, including as a diuretic, as a laxative and against stomachache). [12]

Fishing

Many of California's Native American tribes traditionally used soaproot, or the root of various yucca species, as a fish poison. They would pulverize the roots, then mix the powder in water to create a foam, and then add the suds to a stream. This would kill, or incapacitate, the fish, which could be gathered easily from the surface of the water. Among the tribes using this technique were the Lassik, the Luiseño, and the Mattole. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agavoideae</span> Subfamily of plants

Agavoideae is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, order Asparagales. It has previously been treated as a separate family, Agavaceae. The group includes many well-known desert and dry-zone types, such as the agaves and yuccas. About 640 species are placed in around 23 genera; they are widespread in the tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions of the world.

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

Brodiaea, also known by the common name cluster-lilies, is a monocot genus of flowering plants.

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

Scilla is a genus of about 30 to 80 species of bulb-forming perennial herbaceous plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. Sometimes called the squills in English, they are native to woodlands, subalpine meadows, and seashores throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. A few species are also naturalized in Australasia and North America. Their flowers are usually blue, but white, pink, and purple types are known; most flower in early spring, but a few are autumn-flowering. Several Scilla species are valued as ornamental garden plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scilloideae</span> Subfamily of bulbous monocot plants

Scilloideae is a subfamily of bulbous plants within the family Asparagaceae. Scilloideae is sometimes treated as a separate family Hyacinthaceae, named after the genus Hyacinthus. Scilloideae or Hyacinthaceae include many familiar garden plants such as Hyacinthus (hyacinths), Hyacinthoides (bluebells), Muscari and Scilla and Puschkinia. Some are important as cut flowers.

<i>Chlorogalum pomeridianum</i> Species of plant

Chlorogalum pomeridianum, the wavy-leafed soap plant, California soaproot, or Amole, is the most common and most widely distributed of the soap plants, soaproots or amoles, which make up the genus Chlorogalum of flowering plants. It is occasionally known as the "wild potato", but given the plant's lack of either resemblance or relationship to the potato, this name is not recommended.

<i>Camassia</i> Genus of plants

Camassia is a genus of plants in the asparagus family native to North America. Common names include camas, quamash, Indian hyacinth, camash, and wild hyacinth.

<i>Ornithogalum</i> Genus of perennial bulbous plants in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae

Ornithogalum is a genus of perennial plants mostly native to southern Europe and southern Africa belonging to the family Asparagaceae. Some species are native to other areas such as the Caucasus. Growing from a bulb, species have linear basal leaves and a slender stalk, up to 30 cm tall, bearing clusters of typically white star-shaped flowers, often striped with green. The common name of the genus, star-of-Bethlehem, is based on its star-shaped flowers, after the Star of Bethlehem that appears in the biblical account of the birth of Jesus. The number of species has varied considerably, depending on authority, from 50 to 300.

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

Asparagaceae, known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, Asparagus officinalis. This family includes both common garden plants as well as common houseplants. The garden plants include asparagus, yucca, bluebell, and hosta, and the houseplants include snake plant, corn cane, spider plant, and plumosus fern.

<i>Hesperoyucca</i> Genus of flowering plants of the Agavoideae subfamily

Hesperoyucca is a small genus of two recognized species of flowering plants closely related to, and recently split from, Yucca, which is in the century plant subfamily within the asparagus family.

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

Hesperocallis is a genus of flowering plants that includes a single species, Hesperocallis undulata, known as the desert lily or ajo lily.

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

Doryanthes is the sole genus in the flowering plant family Doryanthaceae. The genus consists of two species, D. excelsa and D. palmeri, both endemic natives of the coast of Eastern Australia. Doryanthaceae is part of the order Asparagales.

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

Puschkinia is a genus of four known species of bulbous perennials in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is native to the Caucasus and the Middle East. Puschkinia scilloides is grown as an ornamental bulbous plant.

<i>Hooveria purpurea</i> Species of flowering plant

Hooveria purpurea is a species of flowering plant related to the agaves known by the common name purple amole. This species of soap plant is endemic to California, where it grows in the Santa Lucia Range, in the Central Coast region. There are two varieties of this plant, and both are believed to be quite rare. It is a federally listed threatened species.

<i>Chlorogalum angustifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Chlorogalum angustifolium is a species of flowering plant, known by the common name narrowleaf soap plant.

<i>Hooveria parviflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Hooveria parviflora is a species of perennial herb known by the common name smallflower soap plant. It is a monocot, native to coastal southern California and Baja California, where it is a member of the coastal sage scrub flora. It resembles a smaller version of Chlorogalum pomeridianum, with wavy leaves and white flowers that open during the day.

<i>Camassia cusickii</i> Species of flowering plant

Camassia cusickii, common name Cusick's camas or Cusick's quamash, is a species of plant in the family Asparagaceae. It is native to parts of North America. C. cusickii originally appeared in horticultural journals in the late 1800s, but they have been sold and cultivated for about thirty years.

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

Fessia is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is distributed from Iran to Central Asia and Pakistan.

<i>Prospero</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Prospero is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is distributed in Europe, around the Mediterranean, and through the Middle East to the Caucasus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Families of Asparagales</span>

The Asparagales are an order of plants, and on this page the structure of the order is used according to the APG III system. The order takes its name from the family Asparagaceae and is placed in the monocots. The order is clearly circumscribed on the basis of DNA sequence analysis, but is difficult to define morphologically, since its members are structurally diverse. The APG III system is used in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families from the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. With this circumscription, the order consists of 14 families with approximately 1120 genera and 26000 species.

<i>Hooveria</i> (plant) Genus of plants

Hooveria is a genus of perennial bulbous plants in the Agavaceae family native to California and northwest Baja California. They are among a number of taxa referred to as amole. They are characterized by diurnal flowering and were formerly placed in the genus Chlorogalum, which consists of vespertine flowering species. They are named in honor of Robert F. Hoover, a field botanist from California who was responsible for founding the botanical garden and herbarium at California State Polytechnic College.

References

  1. 1 2 Search for "Chlorogalum", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , retrieved 2012-05-05
  2. ↑ Kunth, Karl Sigismund 1843. Enumeratio Plantarum Omnium Hucusque Cognitarum 4: 681-683 in Latin
  3. ↑ Lindley, John 1841. Edwards's Botanical Register n. ser. 4: 54
  4. ↑ Stevens, P.F., Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Agavoideae
  5. ↑ Bruce G. Baldwin; Douglas H. Goldman; David J. Keil; Robert Patterson; Thomas J. Rosatti, eds. (2012). The Jepson Manual Vascular Plants of California (2nd ed.). University of California Press. ISBN   9780520253124.
  6. ↑ Flora of North America. New York and Oxford: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993.
  7. ↑ Pfosser, M.; Speta, F. (1999). "Phylogenetics of Hyacinthaceae based on plastid DNA sequences". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Missouri Botanical Garden. 86 (4): 852–875. doi:10.2307/2666172. JSTOR   2666172.
  8. 1 2 Taylor, D.W. and D.J. Keil. 2018. Hooveria, a new genus liberated from Chlorogalum (Agavaceae subf. Chlorogaloideae). Phytoneuron 2018-67: 1–6. Published 1 October 2018. ISSN 2153-733X
  9. ↑ C.M. Hogan, 2008
  10. ↑ University of Michigan at Dearborn: Native American Ethnobotany of Chlorogalum angustifolium
  11. ↑ Soap Lilies in California, 1998
  12. 1 2 3 Univ. of Michigan: Species entry in Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany Database: Chlorogalum pomeridianum
  13. ↑ "Social Studies Fact Cards, "Chumash"" . Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  14. ↑ Campbell, Paul (1999). Survival skills of native California. Gibbs Smith. p. 433. ISBN   978-0-87905-921-7.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.