Lysimachia vulgaris

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Lysimachia vulgaris
Lysimachia vulgaris (flowers) 2.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Primulaceae
Genus: Lysimachia
Species:
L. vulgaris
Binomial name
Lysimachia vulgaris
L.
Synonyms [1]
  • Lysimachusa vulgaris(L.) Pohl
Lysimachia vulgaris capsules and seeds Lysimachia vulgaris MHNT.BOT.2004.0.805.jpg
Lysimachia vulgaris capsules and seeds

Lysimachia vulgaris, the yellow loosestrife or garden loosestrife, is a species of herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. It was transferred to Myrsinoideae based on results of molecular phylogenetic research [2] [3] before being merged into the Primulaceae. [4]

Contents

Description

Yellow loosestrife is a tall downy semi-evergreen perennial plant with an upright habit, 50–150 centimetres (20–59 in) high, with erect panicles of conspicuous yellow flowers. [5] :519 The edges of the petals lack the fringe of hairs seen in L. punctata , and the hairy, narrow triangular sepals have a conspicuous orange margin. [6] :114 It flowers from June through August in the British Isles. Measuring 5 - 12 cm long, the entire-margined leaves are opposite or 3-4-whorled, ovate to lanceolate and spotted with translucent orange glands.

The stem is round or square in cross-section, downy, and usually solid and pith-filled [7]

Etymology

The generic name Lysimachia means ‘ending strife’, derived from Lysimachus, a King of Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedon, also an army leader under Alexander the Great. The specific epithet vulgaris means common, or usual. [8]

Habitat, distribution and ecology

L. vulgaris is native to Eurasia, as far West as Ireland where it is frequent to locally common, and North Africa. It has been introduced to North America, where it is considered an exotic introduction, for its ornamental value in gardens. It grows best in moist habitats such as fens and wet woodlands as well as on lakesides and riverbanks.

Like many of its congeners, L. vulgaris provides an important nectar source for specialist solitary bees in the genus Macropis , especially Macropis europaea . [9] However, the relationship between Lysimachia and Macropis is not thought to be obligate on the part of the plant. [10]

For the first time, a plant pathogen Ramularia lysimachiae Thün was found on the plant in County Durham in 2004. [11]

L. vulgaris has been listed as a noxious weed in Washington State on account of its invasiveness. Although the seeds only appear to have a maximum viability of 3 years when stored in the soil, the plant can spread by vegetative means from rhizomes over extensive areas, sometimes to the detriment of other species. [12] It remains in a vegetative state for some years before blooming, so that flowering stands of the plant indicate that it has long been present in that area. [13]

L. vulgaris is an unpalatable species that is avoided by large herbivores due to its content of toxic compounds. [14]

In use

Like many other plants in the genus Lysimachia, yellow loosestrife has historically been valued for its medicinal properties and is still sometimes used today in traditional folk medicine by some eastern cultures. It has been used as an effective anti-inflammatory agent as well as for treating fever, wounds, ulcers, and diarrhoea. [15] It also has analgesic, astringent, and expectorant properties. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ericales</span> Order of eudicot flowering plants

The Ericales are a large and diverse order of dicotyledons. Species in this order have considerable commercial importance including for tea, persimmon, blueberry, kiwifruit, Brazil nuts, argan, and azalea. The order includes trees, bushes, lianas, and herbaceous plants. Together with ordinary autophytic plants, the Ericales include chlorophyll-deficient mycoheterotrophic plants and carnivorous plants.

<i>Anagallis arvensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the primrose family

Anagallis arvensis, commonly known as the scarlet pimpernel, red pimpernel, red chickweed, poor man's barometer, poor man's weather-glass, shepherd's weather glass or shepherd's clock, is a species of low-growing annual plant with brightly coloured flowers, most often scarlet but also bright blue and sometimes pink. The native range of the species is Europe and Western Asia and North Africa. The species has been distributed widely by humans, either deliberately as an ornamental flower or accidentally. A. arvensis is now naturalised almost worldwide, with a range that encompasses the Americas, Central and East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Malesia, the Pacific Islands, Australasia and Southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Primulaceae</span> Family of flowering plants that includes the primroses

The Primulaceae, commonly known as the primrose family, are a family of herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden plants and wildflowers. Most are perennial though some species, such as scarlet pimpernel, are annuals.

<i>Artemisia vulgaris</i> Medicinal herb known as common mugwort

Artemisia vulgaris, the common mugwort, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is one of several species in the genus Artemisia commonly known as mugwort, although Artemisia vulgaris is the species most often called mugwort. It is also occasionally known as riverside wormwood, felon herb, chrysanthemum weed, wild wormwood, old Uncle Henry, sailor's tobacco, naughty man, old man, or St. John's plant. Mugworts have been used medicinally and as culinary herbs.

<i>Lysimachia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae

Lysimachia is a genus consisting of 182 accepted species of flowering plants traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae. Based on a molecular phylogenetic study it was transferred to the family Myrsinaceae, before this family was later merged into the Primulaceae.

<i>Lysimachia nemorum</i> Species of flowering plant in the primrose family Primulaceae

Lysimachia nemorum, the yellow pimpernel, is a perennial flowering plant in the family Primulaceae.

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

Anagallis is a genus of about 20–25 species of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae, commonly called pimpernel. The scarlet pimpernel referred to in literature is part of this genus. The botanical name is from the Greek ana and agállein, and it refers to the opening and closing of the flowers in response to environmental conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrsinoideae</span> Subfamily of plants, including Cyclamen

Myrsinoideae is a subfamily of the family Primulaceae in the order Ericales. It was formerly recognized as the family Myrsinaceae, or the myrsine family, consisting of 35 genera and about 1000 species. It is widespread in temperate to tropical climates extending north to Europe, Siberia, Japan, Mexico, and Florida, and south to New Zealand, South America, and South Africa.

<i>Lysimachia monelli</i> Species of flowering plant

Lysimachia monelli, the blue pimpernel or garden pimpernel is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to the Mediterranean region. It is not to be confused with Lysimachia foemina, which has very similar blue flowers, but broader leaves and can be found also in colder climates. In a comparison of DNA sequences, L. monelli was shown to be most closely related to L. foemina. The latter had been thought by many to be closest to L. arvensis, and some authors had even included L. foemina as a subspecies of L. arvensis. The three species were among several transferred from Anagallis to Lysimachia in a 2009 paper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theophrastoideae</span> Subfamily of flowering plant family Primulaceae

Theophrastoideae is a small subfamily of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. It was formerly recognized as a separate family Theophrastaceae. As previously circumscribed, the family consisted of eight genera and 95 species of trees or shrubs, native to tropical regions of the Americas.

<i>Lysimachia terrestris</i> Species of flowering plant

Lysimachia terrestris is a plant in the family Primulaceae.

<i>Lysimachia quadrifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Lysimachia quadrifolia, the whorled loosestrife, whorled yellow loosestrife, or crosswort, is a species of herbaceous plant in the family Primulaceae. It native to the eastern United States and Canada.

<i>Lysimachia ciliata</i> Species of flowering plant

Lysimachia ciliata, the fringed loosestrife, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. It is an erect herbaceous perennial growing to 120 cm (47 in) tall and 60 cm (24 in) broad, with opposite, simple leaves, and smooth green stems. The star-shaped yellow flowers are borne in midsummer. It is native to North America, including most of southern Canada and most of the United States except for the southwest. This plant is notable in that it is one of the few species of Lysimachia to bear elaiophores, that is, to offer oil instead of nectar as a reward to pollinators. It is pollinated in the northern part of its range by the specialist oil bee Macropis nuda, a native bee species whose survival depends upon this host plant.

<i>Lysimachia punctata</i> Species of flowering plant in the primrose family Primulaceae

Lysimachia punctata, the dotted loosestrife, large yellow loosestrife, circle flower, or spotted loosestrife, is a flowering plant species in the family Primulaceae.

<i>Lysimachia asperulifolia</i> Species of plant

Lysimachia asperulifolia is a rare species of flowering plant in the Primulaceae known by the common name rough-leaved loosestrife and roughleaf yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to the Atlantic coastal plain in North Carolina and northern South Carolina in the United States, where there are 64 known populations. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Lysimachia iniki</i> Species of flowering plant

Lysimachia iniki is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae known by the common names Wailua River yellow loosestrife and Wailua River island-loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there is only one known occurrence existing on the island of Kauai. The plant was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 2010.

Lysimachia lydgatei is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae known by the common name Maui yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there are only four occurrences remaining on the island of Maui, the total number of plants under 300. It is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.

<i>Lysimachia foemina</i> Species of flowering plant

Lysimachia foemina is commonly known as blue pimpernel or poor man's weatherglass, and was formerly called Anagallis foemina. It is a low-growing annual herbaceous plant in the genus Lysimachia of the family Primulaceae. In a comparison of DNA sequences, L. foemina was shown to be most closely related to L. monelli. It had been thought by many to be closest to L. arvensis, and some authors had even included L. foemina as a subspecies of L. arvensis, as Anagallis arvensis subsp foemina. These three species were among several transferred from Anagallis to Lysimachia in a 2009 paper.

<i>Lysimachia clethroides</i> Species of flowering plant

Lysimachia clethroides, the gooseneck loosestrife, is a species of flowering plant, traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae. It was transferred to the family Myrsinaceae based on a molecular phylogenetic study, but this family was later merged into the Primulaceae.

<i>Macropis nuda</i> Species of bee

Macropis nuda is a ground nesting, univoltine bee native to northern parts of North America. Thus, this species cocoons as pupae and hibernates over the winter. The species is unusual as it is an oligolectic bee, foraging exclusively for floral oils and pollen from Primulaceae of the species Lysimachia ciliata.

References

  1. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species" . Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  2. Hao G, Yuan YM, Hu CM, Ge XJ, Zhao NX. 2004. Molecular phylogeny of Lysimachia (Myrsinaceae) based on chloroplast trnL-F and nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 31(1): 323-339.
  3. Oh IC, Anderberg AL, Schonenberg J, Anderberg AA. 2008. Comparative seed morphology and character evolution in the genus Lysimachia (Myrsinaceae) and related taxa. Plant Syst. Evol. 271 (3-4): 177 - 197.
  4. Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III. 2009. Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–121. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x.
  5. Stace, C. A. (2010). New Flora of the British Isles (Third ed.). Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   9780521707725.
  6. Blamey, M.; Fitter, R.; Fitter, A (2003). Wild flowers of Britain and Ireland: The Complete Guide to the British and Irish Flora. London: A & C Black. ISBN   978-1408179505.
  7. Poland J, Clement EJ. 2020. The Vegetative Key to the British Flora. John Poland, Southampton ISBN   9780956014429
  8. Gledhill D. 1985. The Names of Plants. Cambridge University Press ISBN   0521366755
  9. Garbuzov M, Ratnieks FLW. 2014. Listmania: The strengths and weaknesses of lists of garden plants to help pollinators. Bioscience 64 (11)
  10. Popov VV. 1958. Special features of the correlated evolution of Macropsis epeloides (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) and Lysimachia (Primulaceae). Entomological Reviews 37: 433 – 451
  11. Legg AW. 2004. Ramularia lysimachiae Thüm on Lysimachia vulgaris - a new plant-fungus association for Great Britain, found in County Durham. Vasculum 89(3)
  12. DiTomaso JM, Kyser GB, Oneto SR, Wilson RG, Orloff SB, Anderson LW, Wright SD, Roncoroni, JA, Miller TL, Prather TS, Ransom C. 2013. Weed control in natural areas in the western United States. Weed Research and Information Center, University of California, 544.
  13. Cusick AW. 1986. Distributional and taxonomic notes on the vascular flora of West Virginia. Castanea 51 (1): 56 – 65.
  14. Bossuyt B, de Fré B, Hoffman M. 2005. Abundance and flowering success patterns in a short-term grazed grassland: early evidence of facilitation. Journal of Ecology 93(6): 1104—1114.
  15. Podolak I, Elas M, Cieszka. 1998. In vitro antifungal and cytotoxic activity of triterpene saponosides and quinoid pigments from Lysimachia vulgaris L. Phytotherapy Research 12: S70–S73.
  16. Yildirim AB , Guner B, Karakas FP , Turker AU. 2017. Evaluation of antibacterial, antitumor, antioxidant activities and phenolic constituents of field-grown and in-vitro-grown Lysimachia vulgaris L. Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. 14(2): 177 – 187.