Lithospermum officinale

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Lithospermum officinale
Lithospermum officinale.jpeg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Boraginales
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Lithospermum
Species:
L. officinale
Binomial name
Lithospermum officinale
L.
Lithospermum officinale Lithospermum officinale MHNT.BOT.2007.40.103.jpg
Lithospermum officinale

Lithospermum officinale, or common gromwell or European stoneseed, is a flowering plant species in the family Boraginaceae , native to Eurasia. It is the host plant for caterpillars of the monophagous moth Ethmia dodecea . [1]

Contents

Description

Common gromwell is an erect, downy perennial plant growing up to 60 – 80 cm tall. [2] The unstalked, lanceolate leaves grow up to 10 cm long and are strongly marked with lateral veins below.

The greenish white, funnel-shaped flowers, appearing June – July, measure 3 – 4 mm across and are borne in short, dense cymose clusters within the leaf axils. When in fruit, the inflorescences form a V-shaped, elongated spray. [3] The fruits comprise 4 shiny white nutlets that measure 3 – 4 mm long and persist well into winter. [2]

Habitat and distribution

The plant is very widely distributed throughout Europe and Asia. It is locally common in the UK, where it is much rarer in the north and west of the country. The favoured habitat includes grassland, scrubland, and open woodland, usually on base-rich and calcareous soils. [2]

In culture and human use

All parts of the plant have been traditionally used as a natural medicinal remedy for various ailments. In India for example, the leaves were once used as a sedative, while the seeds have been administered as a diuretic, lithotritic, febrifuge, anti-gout, anti-ovulary and anti-toxic agent as well as an anti-inflammatory for diseases of the urinary tract and for promoting digestion. A herbal tea made from the root and stem, or a decoction of the roots and twigs was once given in the form of a syrup to remedy smallpox and measles. The tea also served as an antipruritic.[ citation needed ]

Archaeological findings from a gravesite in Poland unearthed a plaster poultice containing the nutlets of L. officinale. The plant has been found to be a potent natural anti-inflammatory and effective agent for healing burn wounds when applied topically, which explains the presence of this species in the poultice discovered. [4]

L. officinale also appears to have held important cosmetic and ornamental value. For example, the roots were once used for colouring fibres and to produce makeup dye. Elsewhere, the well-preserved, intact fruits were found glued onto two wooden tubs found in the Yanghai Tombs of Xinjiang, China, from about 2,500 years ago. [5] These nutlets probably had decorative worth. Their lustrous, porcelain-like appearance as well as their hardness also made them suitable and popular for use as beads in Bulgaria and central Europe as far back as the Neolithic period. [5]

Related Research Articles

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

Lithospermum is a genus of plants belonging to the family Boraginaceae. The genus is distributed nearly worldwide, but most are native to the Americas and the center of diversity is in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Species are known generally as gromwells or stoneseeds.

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

Sisymbrium officinale, the hedge mustard, is a plant in the family Brassicaceae.

<i>Calendula officinalis</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Calendula officinalis, the pot marigold, common marigold, ruddles, Mary's gold or Scotch marigold, is a flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is probably native to southern Europe, though its long history of cultivation makes its precise origin unknown, and it may possibly be of garden origin. It is also widely naturalised farther north in Europe and elsewhere in warm temperate regions of the world.

<i>Sanicula europaea</i> Species of flowering plant

Sanicula europaea, the sanicle or wood sanicle, is a perennial plant of the family Apiaceae.

<i>Agrimonia eupatoria</i> Species of plant

Agrimonia eupatoria is a species of agrimony that is often referred to as common agrimony, church steeples or sticklewort.

<i>Taraxacum officinale</i> Flowering plant species known as dandelion

Taraxacum officinale, the dandelion or commondandelion, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. The common dandelion is well known for its yellow flower heads that turn into round balls of many silver-tufted fruits that disperse in the wind. These balls are called "clocks" in both British and American English. The name "blowball" is also used.

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

Cynoglossum officinale is a herbaceous plant of the family Boraginaceae.

<i>Heliotropium arboreum</i> Species of plant

Heliotropium arboreum is a species of flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae. It is native to tropical Asia including southern China, Madagascar, northern Australia, and most of the atolls and high islands of Micronesia and Polynesia. Common names include velvetleaf soldierbush, tree heliotrope, veloutier, and octopus bush. It is a shrub or small tree typical of littoral zones reaching a height of 3.6 m (12 ft), with a spread of about 5 m (16 ft).

<i>Lithospermum incisum</i> Species of flowering plant in the borage family Boraginaceae

Lithospermum incisum is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by several common names, including fringed puccoon, narrowleaf stoneseed, fringed gromwell, narrowleaf puccoon, and plains stoneseed. It is native to much of central Canada and the United States, where it is known from many types of habitat, but particularly piñon-juniper woodland. It is a hairy perennial herb growing from a narrow brown to black taproot and woody caudex. It produces a cluster of stems up to about 30 centimeters long. The stems are lined with narrow, pointed leaves up to 6 centimeters long. The slender, trumpet-shaped flowers are pale to bright yellow or gold, and may approach 4 centimeters long. The corolla face is 1 to 2 centimeters wide, its lobes sometimes ruffled. The smaller cleistogamous (closed) flowers are the main producers of seed.

<i>Lithospermum canescens</i> Species of flowering plant in the borage family Boraginaceae

Lithospermum canescens, or the hoary puccoon is a perennial herb endemic to eastern North America. The plant grows in a variety of habitats. It has golden yellow flowers which bloom from April to May.

<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 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>Officinalis</i>

Officinalis, or officinale, is a Medieval Latin epithet denoting organisms—mainly plants—with uses in medicine, herbalism and cookery. It commonly occurs as a specific epithet, the second term of a two-part botanical name. Officinalis is used to modify masculine and feminine nouns, while officinale is used for neuter nouns.

<i>Lithospermum ruderale</i> Species of flowering plant in the borage family Boraginaceae

Lithospermum ruderale is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name western stoneseed or lemonweed. It is native to western Canada and the western United States, where it can be found in many types of habitat. A perennial herb growing from a taproot and woody caudex, it is covered with fine, more or less upright, hairs, especially on the stems. It produces a cluster of erect leafy stems ranging from 20 to 50 centimetres centimeters in height. The stems support lance-shaped leaves ranging from 2.5–10 cm (1–4 in) in length. Bunches of flowers with leaf-like bracts appear toward the top of the stem amongst the leaves. The corolla is fused at the base with five lobes which are light yellow, often slightly greenish, and about a centimeter long and wide. The style is short. The fruit consists of one or two, sometimes four, clustered glossy grey nutlets, 3.5 to 6, sometimes as much as 8 mm long.

<i>Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum</i> Species of flowering plant in the borage family Boraginaceae

Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum is a synonym for Aegonychon purpurocaeruleum (L.) Holub, the purple gromwell, is a herbaceous perennial rhizomatous flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae.

This is a list of plants used by the indigenous people of North America. For lists pertaining specifically to the Cherokee, Iroquois, Navajo, and Zuni, see Cherokee ethnobotany, Iroquois ethnobotany, Navajo ethnobotany, and Zuni ethnobotany.

<i>Lithospermum erythrorhizon</i> Species of flowering plant in the borage family Boraginaceae

Lithospermum erythrorhizon, commonly called purple gromwell, red stoneroot, red gromwell, red-root gromwell and redroot lithospermum, is a plant species in the genus Lithospermum. It is called zǐcǎo (紫草) in Chinese, jichi (지치) in Korean, and murasaki in Japanese.

<i>Cryptantha humilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Cryptantha humilis is a perennial plant in the Borage Family (Boraginaceae). It is commonly called low cryptantha.

Cryptantha nubigena is a perennial plant in the Borage Family (Boraginaceae). It is commonly called Sierra cryptantha.

<i>Hormuzakia aggregata</i> Species of plant

Hormuzakia aggregata is a flowering annual plant in the Borage family, known by the common name massed alkanet.

References

  1. Åberg A. 2015. Could Lithospermum officinale be bird-dispersed? A greenhouse experiment. MSc Thesis, Uppsala.
  2. 1 2 3 Gibbons B, Brough P. 2008. Guide to Wildflowers of Britain and Northern Europe. Philips
  3. Rose F. 2006. The Wildflower Key. Warne.
  4. Amiri ZM, Tanideh N, Seddighi A, Mokhtari M, Amini M, Partovi AS, Manafi A, Hashemi SS, Mehrabani D. 2017. The effect of Lithospermum officinale, silver sulfadiazine and alpha ointments in healing of burn wound injuries in rat. World J Plast Surg 6(3): 313–318.
  5. 1 2 Jiang H-E, Li X, Liu C-J, Wang Y-F, Li C-S. 2007. Fruits of Lithospermum officinale L. (Boraginaceae) used as an early plant decoration (2,500 years BP) in Xinjiang, China. Journal of Archaeological Science 34: 167 – 170.