Oenanthe fistulosa, tubular water-dropwort, is a flowering plant in the carrot family, native to Europe, North Africa and western parts of Asia. It is an uncommon plant of wetlands, growing around pools and along ditches, mainly in areas of high conservation value.
The outermost flowers in each umbel have enlarged "radiating" petals
Tubular water-dropwort is a hairless, stoloniferousperennial growing up to 80cm tall with brittle, hollow, inflated cylindrical stems 0.5cm in diameter, which are constricted at the nodes (hence the specific name fistulosa). Unlike some other water-dropworts, it has no swollen tubers among the roots, but it can reproduce vegetatively by the lengthy stolons.[1]
The leaves vary widely in shape, with the upper ones being typically pinnate and having narrow, almost linear segments, while the lower ones can be 2- or even 3-times pinnate, with broader, flat leaflets, more like those of other umbellifers. The leaf stalks of the upper leaves are fistular, like the stem, and longer than the pinnate leaf blade.[2]
It flowers between July and September in northern Europe, with clusters of 2-4 umbels about 1cm in diameter, each of which has numerous white to pinkish flowers. A distinguishing feature is that, unlike many other umbellifers, it has no bracts but only small bracteoles on the individual umbels. The rays (stalks to the umbels) are 10–30mm long and become thicker after flowering.[2][1]
Plants are monoecious, with hermaphroditic and male flowers on the terminal umbels, and only male flowers on the lateral umbels. Each flower has 5 unequal petals with the larger, outer ones radiating, 5 stamens and 2 prominent styles arising from a swollen base (stylopodium) at the top of the ovary. After flowering, the flower stalks and fruits expand to form distinctive pink balls with the remains of the styles projecting in pairs from the surfaces of the cone-shaped fruits.[2][1]
Fruiting umbels; note the lateral umbel with no female flowersA finely-divided lower leafA less finely-divided lower leafThe stems of tubular water-dropwort are hollow, with very thin walls.An uprooted plant of tubular water-dropwort, showing the stolons
Taxonomy
The scientific name for tubular water-dropwort was coined by Peter Artedi, who developed the modern binomial classification system, and defined the species on the basis of its involucral characters.[3] It was published after Artedi's death by Linnaeus in Species Plantarum, in 1753, and that name still stands, although numerous others (synonyms) have been proposed over the years, including Phellandrium fistulosum (L.) Clairv. (1811), O. filipendula Dumort. (1827) and Selinum fistulosum (L.) E.H.L. Krause (1904). A full list can be found in the Synonymic Checklists of the Plants of the World.[4]
A few subspecies and variants have been named, such as forma submersa (Glück, 1936), subspecies fistulosa (Linnaeus, 1753) and var. tabernaemontani ((C.C. Gmel.) DC., 1830), but none is in common use now.
The generic name Oenanthe, which comes from the Ancient Greek οίνος, "wine" and άνθος, "flower", was used in ancient times for certain Mediterranean plants and later adopted to describe this genus. "Fistula" is the Latin for tube, and refers to the shape of the stem. The "dropwort" part of the common name is a reference to the tubers produced amongst the roots of certain other species in the genus.[6]
Identification
It can be distinguished from other British species of Oenanthe by its inflated hollow stems (those of lachenalii and pimpinelloides are solid); the absence of bracts (present in crocata, lachenalii and pimpinelloides); the fruit being globose with all fruits sessile (not so with crocata, silaifolia, pimpinelloides or lachenalii); and the fruits being less than 4mm long (more in crocata and fluviatilis).[7]
Distribution and status
The global range of tubular water-dropwort is from Europe through the northern half of Africa to western parts of Asia. It occurs no further north than southern Scandinavia and is rare as an introduction beyond its natural range. In Britain and Ireland it is found mainly in the lowland eastern counties, becoming increasingly rare towards the uplands of the north and west.[2][8] In France the pattern is similar, with the main populations in the southern lowlands, becoming rarer towards the upland regions around the Alps.[9]
The IUCN threat status is Least Concern (LC) (as assessed in 2013), both globally and in Europe.[10][11] In France, it is similarly considered unthreatened nationally, but in some reasons it is declining, notably in Limousin, where it is Critically Rare (CR), and Midi-Pyrénées, where it is Endangered (EN).[9] It is also declining in some other European countries, such as Slovenia, where it is classed as EN.[12]
In Britain it is classified as Vulnerable (VU), while in England it is believed to have declined by 35% in its area of occupancy between the 1960s and the 1990s. This decrease appears to have continued in some English counties, such as Kent, where the number of sites has shrunk by 60% between the 1970s and 2005, despite it being a Biodiversity Action Plan species.[7]
Habitat and ecology
Botanical drawing of tubular water-dropwort
It is a wetland plant, occurring naturally in swamps and marshes along valleys and in river deltas such as the Camargue in France[13] and the Doñana National Park in Spain.[14] In well-drained agricultural landscapes it is now more likely to be found in drainage ditches, farm ponds and grazed wet meadows. In some places it is found as a halophyte in coastal dune slacks or brackish grazing marshes, as at Aiguamolls de l'Empordà in Spain[15] or on the Sefton Coast in Britain.[16][17]
It favours clean, mesotrophic water, slightly base-rich conditions, and moderately high light levels, which make it an axiophyte in most British counties.[18] In France it is an indicator of the Gratiola officinalis-O. fistulosa community in restored wetlands along the Saône river.[19] In contrast, it is dominant in a type of flooded creeping bent meadows on clay in Italy, in a Ranunculus ophioglossifolius-O. fistulosa community. [20]
In places where it has noticeably declined, attempts have been made to restore its habitat. Wet meadows were sown in the valley of the Meuse in NE France, but after three years it had not colonised them.[21] However, when a species-poor ditch in an area of arable farmland in Romney Marsh was cleared and planted up, O. fistulosa thrived for at least a while, showing that it is not as sensitive to nutrient enrichment as some species.[7]
Larva of the moth Depressaria daucella on tubular water-dropwort leaves at Seasalter Levels RSPB reserve, Kent
Like other umbellifers, tubular water-dropwort has unspecialised flowers that are pollinated by a wide variety of beetles, flies and other invertebrates. Only a few insects have been found to feed on it: the larvae of the beetle Lixus paraplecticus are phytophagous within the stems; common swallowtail caterpillars eat the leaves (in France); and the larvae of the moth Depressaria daucella cause mines within the leaves or feed on the foliage and flowers.[23]
There are two fungi which cause galls in tubular water-dropwort in Britain: Protomyces macrosporus causes distortion and swelling of the leaves, petioles and stems, while Uromyces lineolatus produces yellowish spots on the lower surface of the leaves and petioles.[24]
Uses
Tubular water-dropwort roots have been found to contain small quantities of Oenanthotoxin, the toxic agent that makes hemlock water-dropwort so dangerous. However, the quantities are much (10 x) lower and it is generally considered safe, or even palatable.[25]Oenanthe fistulosa is freely grazed by livestock. It is used in traditional medicine in Algeria and investigations into the essential oil show that there are constituents have could have medical benefits as well as a chemical, Heneicosane, which attracts mosquitoes involved in transmitting Dengue fever.[26]
It has been reported as part of the traditional cuisine in parts of southern Italy[27] and Turkey, where it is known as Gazyak or Kazayağı (a general name for various species of water-dropwort), and the basal leaves are cooked as a meal.[28]
The Irish botanist D.E. Allen suggests that O. fistulosa might be the plant that was reported in County Wicklow as a treatment for rheumatism.[29]
Related Research Articles
Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus Apium and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants, with more than 3,800 species in about 446 genera, including such well-known and economically important plants as ajwain, angelica, anise, asafoetida, caraway, carrot, celery, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, lovage, cow parsley, parsley, parsnip and sea holly, as well as silphium, a plant whose identity is unclear and which may be extinct.
Oenanthe, known as water dropworts, oenanthes, water parsleys, and water celeries, are a genus of plants in the family Apiaceae. Most of the species grow in damp ground, such as in marshes or in water.
Smyrnium olusatrum, common name alexanders is an edible flowering plant of the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae), which grows on waste ground and in hedges around the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastal regions of Europe. It was formerly widely grown as a pot herb, but is now appreciated mostly by foragers.
Anthriscus sylvestris, known as cow parsley, wild chervil, wild beaked parsley, Queen Anne's lace or keck, is a herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial plant in the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae), genus Anthriscus. It is also sometimes called mother-die, a name that is also applied to the common hawthorn. It is native to Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa. It is related to other diverse members of Apiaceae, such as parsley, carrot, hemlock and hogweed. It is often confused with Daucus carota, another member of the Apiaceae also known as "Queen Anne's lace" or "wild carrot".
North Meadow, Cricklade is a hay meadow near the town of Cricklade, in Wiltshire, England. It is 24.6 hectares in size. It is a traditionally managed lowland hay-meadow, or lammas land, and is grazed in common between 12 August and 12 February each year, and cut for hay no earlier than 1 July. This pattern of land use and management has existed for many centuries and has resulted in the species rich grassland flora and fauna present on the site.
Portencross is a hamlet near Farland Head in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Situated about three kilometres west of Seamill and about two kilometres south of Hunterston B nuclear power station, it is noted for Portencross Castle.
Oenanthotoxin is a toxin extracted from hemlock water-dropwort and other plants of the genus Oenanthe. It is a central nervous system poison, and acts as a noncompetitive antagonist of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid. A case has been made for the presence of this toxin in local Oenanthe species playing a causative role in euthanasia in ancient Sardinia. It was crystallized in 1949 by Clarke and co-workers. It is structurally closely related to the toxins cicutoxin and carotatoxin. Oenanthotoxin is a C17 polyacetylene isomer of cicutoxin.
Chaerophyllum temulum, the rough chervil, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae.
Oenanthe pimpinelloides is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae known by the common name corky-fruited water-dropwort. It is a plant of damp or dry grassland and more ruderal tall herb communities.
Railway Stell West is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Sedgefield district of County Durham, England. The site consists of a length of ditch alongside the East Coast Main Line railway, 3 km east of the town of Newton Aycliffe.
Tiedemannia canbyi is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known as Canby's dropwort and Canby's cowbane. It is native to the southeastern United States, where it occurs on the Atlantic coastal plain from North Carolina to Georgia, as well as the Chesapeake Bay area. It is threatened by the loss of the wetland habitat in which it grows. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
Depressaria daucella is a moth of the family Depressariidae. It is found in most of Europe, except most of the Balkan Peninsula. It is also found in North America.
Silaum silaus, commonly known as pepper-saxifrage, is a perennial plant in the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) found across south-eastern, central, and western Europe, including the British Isles. It grows in damp grasslands on neutral soils.
Dropwort is a common name for several plants and may refer to:
Oenanthe crocata, hemlock water-dropwort is a flowering plant in the carrot family, native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia. It grows in damp grassland and wet woodland, often along river and stream banks. All parts of the plant are extremely toxic and it has been known to cause human and livestock poisoning.
Oenanthe aquatica, fine-leaved water-dropwort, is an aquatic flowering plant in the carrot family. It is widely distributed from the Atlantic coast of Europe to central Asia.
Hatherton Flush is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by the River Weaver in Hatherton, near Wybunbury, Cheshire, England. It is protected for its variety of wetland plants. Species found at the site include the locally rare plants marsh helleborine, marsh lousewort and tubular water dropwort. Hatherton Flush is the largest example of this kind of flush in the county. The site was assessed as being in an "unfavourable"/"recovering" condition in 2008.
Oenanthe fluviatilis, the river water-dropwort, is a flowering plant in the carrot family, Apiaceae, which is endemic to north-west Europe. It grows only in clear, unpolluted rivers and is declining throughout its range.
Oenanthe lachenalii, parsley water-dropwort, is a flowering plant in the carrot family, which is native to Europe and parts of North Africa. It is a declining plant of coastal wetlands.
Oenanthe silaifolia, narrow-leaved water-dropwort, is a flowering plant in the carrot family, which is native to Europe and adjacent parts of Asia and North Africa. It is an uncommon plant of water-meadows and wetlands.
References
1 2 3 Sell, Peter; Murrell, Gina (2009). Flora of Great Britain and Ireland, vol 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
1 2 3 4 5 Tutin, T.G. (1980). Umbellifers of the British Isles. London: Botanical Society of the British Isles.
↑ Constance, L. (1971). History of the classification of Umbelliferae (Apiaceae) in Heywood, V. H. (ed.) The Biology and Chemistry of the Umbelliferae. London: Academic Press. pp.1–11.
↑ Kuhar, U.; Kržič, N.; Germ, M. (2009). "Habitat characteristics of threatened macrophyte species in the watercourses of Slovenia". Internationale Vereinigung für theoretische und angewandte Limnologie: Verhandlungen. 30 (5): 754–756. doi:10.1080/03680770.2009.11902232. S2CID135206453.
↑ Doğan, A.; Bulut, G.; Tuzlaci, E. (2014). "A review of edible plants on the Turkish Apiaceae species". Journal of the Faculty of Pharmacy of İstanbul Üniversity. 44: 251–262.
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