Rheum maximowiczii

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Rheum maximowiczii
Kashkadar 4.jpg
Growing in situ on a granite foothill in the Zarafshan Range, en route to the Takhta-Karacha Pass, Qashqadaryo Region, Uzbekistan
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Genus: Rheum
Species:
R. maximowiczii
Binomial name
Rheum maximowiczii
Losinsk.
Izv. Bot. Sada Akad. Nauk S.S.S.R. 30:382. 1932
Synonyms

Rheum maximowiczii is a large herbaceous perennial plant species in the genus Rheum (rhubarbs) from the mountains of Central Asia where it grows in Kazakhstan, eastern Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and northeastern Afghanistan.

Contents

Taxonomy

This species first appeared before modern science in the herbarium of Karl Maximovich, in which he labelled the specimen as Rheum megalacarpum. One of the first Europeans to write about this species was the General Nikolai Ivanovich Korolkov, who was engaged in the conquering of Turkestan, and collected herbarium specimens of this plant there in the early 1870s. Another early collector was Johann Albert von Regel, who collected specimens of this species less than a decade later in the highlands throughout the region (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan). He called the plant R. ribes. Boris Fedtschenko later published R. megalacarpum in his 1915 work Растительность Туркестана, the Flora of Turkestan, but omitted a valid description. Agnia Losina-Losinskaja validly published the taxon in 1932 (the date in the publication itself is 1931) under its present name in the Известия Главного ботанического сада С.С.С.Р., also known as Bulletin du jardin botanique principal de l'U.R.S.S.. [2]

Description

It has a single, [2] reddish, [1] leafless, branched stem 40–100 cm (16–39 in) tall, the base of which is compressed to (only) one side and is sulcate and is covered in minute warts or smooth. The lateral branches open to less than 45° to form a pyramidal-shaped inflorescence. [2]

The leaves are round, 50 cm (20 in) long and 60 cm (24 in) wide, and have a reniform base. The margin is slightly wavy and fringed in tiny needles. Each leaf has three extremely prominent veins which are lateral at the base and only fork towards the margin. The top of the leaf is smooth; the underside is warty along the veins. The petiole is short, shorter than half of the leaf blade, the top being warty, rarely glabrous (smooth). [2]

The flowers are congregated and have a long peduncle which is jointed at the base. The greenish tepals are subequal, around 3 mm (0.1 in) long and 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. The stamens are very long. [2]

The large, oval fruit are 20 mm (0.8 in) long and 15 mm (0.6 in) wide, and have lateral, cordate wings –dark reddish-black when ripe, red when immature, with a vein running near the edge. The tepals hug the fruit. The seed is ovoid, wrinkled and brown. [2]

Similar species

In her original 1932 description, as well as in her 1936 key in Komarov's Flora SSSR, Losinskaja considers this species closely related and most similar to Rheum ribes , [1] [2] the desert rhubarb of the mountains of the Middle East, in leaves and flowers, [2] classifying them both in the section Ribesiformia. [1] It can be distinguished from this species by its much smoother stem, much shorter leaf petiole and pyramidal-shaped inflorescence. [2]

Hybrids

The natural hybrid Rheum × svetlanae from Central Asia is a hybrid of this species and R. compactum. [3]

Distribution

It is primarily found in the Pamir, Altai and Western Tian-Shan mountains. [2] [4]

It is found in Kazakhstan, [4] [5] [6] [7] eastern Uzbekistan, [2] [7] Tajikistan, [2] [7] Kyrgyzstan [2] [6] [7] [8] and northeastern Afghanistan. [7]

Habitat Kashkadar 2.jpg
Habitat

It grows in the Chimgan mountains in Uzbekistan, [9] Chatkalsky Gorge in an offshoot of the Western Tian-Shan near Tashkent, the Chatkal Range straddling Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as the Zarafshan Range straddling Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. It also has been found growing in the Hissar Range and in the land around the Vakhsh River in Tajikistan. [2] In Kyrgyzstan it grows in the Chuy region [8] and Taldy-Bulak valley in the Talas Alatau, Talas Region. [6] In Kazakhstan it is found growing in the Kaskasu Gorge in the Karzhantau range, [10] Korday Pass, the Kuyuk Pass near Taraz, in a number of places in the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve, [6] on the Zhetysu ridge in the Ala-tau, and in the Karatau Mountains. [4]

Ecology

Life cycle

It flowers in Kazakhstan from May to June. [4]

Habitat & plant associations

It has been collected growing from approximately 1700 to 3200m in elevation in the Western Tian-Shan, from in the 1300 to 2000m in the Chatkalsky, from 2300 to 2600m in the Zarafshan Range, 1780m in the Hissar, and 3300 to 3700m in the Vakhsh region. [2]

In southwestern Gorno-Badakhshan it usually grows in a type of ecosystem called taran in the local Tajik, although it is not always present. This ecosystem is somewhat uncommon, but may occur at a variety of elevations on alluvial fans near snow accumulations, and is characterised by being dominated by large herbaceous Polygonum coriarium . Other plant species which usually may share this taran habitat are Prangos pabularia , Ferula jaeschkeana , F. grigoriewii, Heracleum olgae , Ephedra tibetica , E. ciliata, E. gerardiana and Artemisia species. In the Shugnan area it grows on mildly sloping scree together with Prangos pabularia, Ferula grigoriewii, Heracleum lehmannianum , H. olgae, Polygonum coriarium, Ephedra spp. and Artemisia spp., with on the steeper slopes isolated plants of the climber Ampelopsis vitifolia , Perovskia scrophulariifolia , Onobrychis echidna , the wild chickpea Cicer songaricum and sometimes the cushion plant Acantholimon pamiricum . [11]

In the Kaskasu Gorge of Kazakhstan it grows in the foothills in grass and gravel, unlike the sympatric Rheum wittrockii which is found in more wooded settings. [10]

It grows at the altitude of 2200m in the Chuy region of Kyrgyzstan in pastures used for grazing milking mares together with plants such as Codonopsis clematidea , Cysticorydalis fedtschenkoana , Dactylorhiza umbrosa , Dictamnus angustifolius and Korolkowia sewerzowii . [8]

It shares its habitat in the hills around Korday Pass with Anemone petiolulosa and Iris kuschakewiczii , a bit lower down on flatter ground the common species are Leontice eversmanii , Gagea filiformis , Tulipa greigii and T. ostrowskiana , and hidden under shrub cover Corydalis ledebouriana and Eranthis longistipitata . Gagea ova is present, but rare here. [6]

Habitat Kashkadar 3.jpg
Habitat

Animal interactions

The emerging leaves of this rhubarb are an important food source for the Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos ssp. isabellinus) when it emerges from hibernation in April in the Taldy-Bulak valley in the Talas Alatau, Talas Region, Kyrgyzstan; their droppings looking just like stewed rhubarb. It grows here in between trees of Prunus mahaleb together with Pedicularis olgae and the large-flowered Anemone gortschakovii . [6]

The caterpillars of the blue butterfly Callophrys titanus , which is found from southern Kazakhstan to Tajikistan and was described in 1998, have only been found to feed on R. maximowiczii. These caterpillars are myrmecophilous and are attended by a coterie of protective ants of the genus Lasius . [12]

Uses

In the country report submitted to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the Global Plan of Action for the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, part of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan identifies R. maximowiczii as an edible, but under-utilized, plant. [5]

Local names

It is known as максимович рауғашы [4] [10] or максимович рауғаш [13] in Kazakh. In Russian it is known as ревень максимовича. [4]

Chemistry

Maximol A can be found in R. maximowiczii. [14]

Related Research Articles

Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked nation in Central Asia, west of the People's Republic of China. Less than a ninth the size of kazakhstan, at 199,951 square kilometers, Kyrgyzstan is one of the smaller Central Asian states. The national territory extends about 900 km (560 mi) from east to west and 410 km (250 mi) from north to south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Tajikistan</span> Overview of the geography of Tajikistan

Tajikistan is nestled between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to the north and west, China to the east, and Afghanistan to the south. Mountains cover 93 percent of Tajikistan's surface area. The two principal ranges, the Pamir Mountains and the Alay Mountains, give rise to many glacier-fed streams and rivers, which have been used to irrigate farmlands since ancient times. Central Asia's other major mountain range, the Tian Shan, skirts northern Tajikistan. Mountainous terrain separates Tajikistan's two population centers, which are in the lowlands of the southern and northern sections of the country. Especially in areas of intensive agricultural and industrial activity, the Soviet Union's natural resource utilization policies left independent Tajikistan with a legacy of environmental problems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syr Darya</span> River in Central Asia

The Syr Darya, historically known as the Jaxartes, is a river in Central Asia. The name, which is Persian, literally means Syr Sea or Syr River. It originates in the Tian Shan Mountains in Kyrgyzstan and eastern Uzbekistan and flows for 2,256.25 kilometres (1,401.97 mi) west and north-west through Uzbekistan and southern Kazakhstan to the northern remnants of the Aral Sea. It is the northern and eastern of the two main rivers in the endorheic basin of the Aral Sea, the other being the Amu Darya (Jayhun).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyrgyzstan</span> Country in Central Asia

Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia, lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the capital and largest city of the country. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and China to the east and southeast. Ethnic Kyrgyz make up the majority of the country's seven million people, followed by significant minorities of Uzbeks and Russians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tian Shan</span> System of mountain ranges in Central Asia

The Tian Shan, also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too, meaning the Mountains of Heaven or the Heavenly Mountain or Mountains of God, is a large system of mountain ranges in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Jengish Chokusu, at 7,439 metres (24,406 ft) high. Its lowest point is the Turpan Depression, which is 154 m (505 ft) below sea level.

<i>Gagea</i> Genus of flowering plants in the lily family Liliaceae

Gagea is a large genus of spring flowers in the lily family. It is found primarily in Eurasia with a few species extending into North Africa and one species in North America.

<i>Rheum palmatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Rheum palmatum is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae. It is commonly called Chinese rhubarb, ornamental rhubarb, Turkey rhubarb or East Indian rhubarb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jambyl Region</span> Region of Kazakhstan

Jambyl or Zhambyl Region, formerly known as Dzhambul Region until 1991, is a region of Kazakhstan. Its capital is Taraz. The population of the region is 1,209,665; the city is 335,100. The region borders Kyrgyzstan, and is very near to Uzbekistan. Jambyl also borders three other provinces: Karaganda Region, Turkistan Region and Almaty Region. The total area is 144,200 square kilometres (55,700 sq mi). The province borders Lake Balkhash to its northeast. The province was named after the Kazakh akyn Jambyl Jabayev.

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

Rheum is a genus of about 60 herbaceous perennial plants in the family Polygonaceae. Species are native to eastern Europe, southern and eastern temperate Asia, with a few reaching into northern tropical Asia. Rheum is cultivated in Europe and North America. The genus includes the vegetable rhubarb. The species have large somewhat triangular shaped leaves with long, fleshy petioles. The flowers are small, greenish-white to rose-red, and grouped in large compound leafy inflorescences. A number of cultivars of rhubarb have been domesticated both as medicinal plants and for human consumption. While the leaves are slightly toxic, the stalks are used in pies and other foods for their tart flavor.

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

Lagochilus is a genus of the mint family that contains Turkistan mint.

<i>Juniperus semiglobosa</i> Species of juniper

Juniperus semiglobosa, the Himalayan pencil juniper, is a species of juniper native to the mountains of Central Asia, in northeastern Afghanistan, westernmost China (Xinjiang), northern Pakistan, southeastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, western Nepal, northern Republic of India, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It grows at altitudes of 1,550–4,420 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic</span> Constituent Union republic of the Soviet Union (1936-1991)

The Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic or Kirgiz Soviet Socialist Republic, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. It was also known by the names Kyrgyzstan and Soviet Kyrgyzstan in the Kyrgyz language, and as Kirghizia and Soviet Kirghizia in the Russian language. Landlocked and mountainous, it bordered Tajikistan and China to the south, Uzbekistan to the west and Kazakhstan to the north. The Kirghiz branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union governed the republic from 1936 until 1990.

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

Eremurus is a genus of deciduous perennial flowers in the family Asphodelaceae. They are also known as the foxtail lilies or desert candles. They are native to eastern Europe in, and temperate Asia from Turkey to China, with many species in Central Asia.

<i>Rheum rhabarbarum</i> Species of plant

Rheum rhabarbarum is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae, native to a region stretching from southern Siberia to north and central China. It has been harvested from the wild for centuries for its root, which was harvested for use as a popular medicine in Europe and Asia. It was later cultivated for its root in England and Russia. It is considered to be one of the species involved in the development of culinary rhubarb, for which the scientific name R. rhabarbarum is sometimes (erroneously) used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pamir-Alay</span> Mountain system mostly in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

The Pamir-Alay is a mountain system in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, encompassing four main mountain ranges extending west from the Tian Shan Mountains, and located north of the main range of Pamir. They are variously considered part of the Tian Shan, of the Pamir, or a separate mountain system. The term "Pamiro-Alay" is also used to refer to the mountain region encompassing the Pamir, the Pamir-Alay proper and the Tajik Depression.

<i>Rheum ribes</i> Species of plant

Rheum ribes, the Syrian rhubarb or currant-fruited rhubarb, or warty-leaved rhubarb, is an edible wild rhubarb species in the genus Rheum. It grows between 1000 and 4000 m on dunite rocks, among stones and slopes, and is now distributed in the temperate and subtropical regions of the world, chiefly in Western Asia to Afghanistan and Pakistan and also in ladakh(Kargil) region of India. The Syrian rhubarb is a partially commercial vegetable collected from wild patches in Eastern and Southern Anatolia, Northern Iraq and partly Northwestern Iran in early spring. Rheum ribes is considered as a valuable medicinal species in herbal medicine.

Agnia Sergeyevna Losina-Losinskaja (1903–1958) was a Soviet botanist. Her family name is also transcribed as Lozina-Lozinscaia, and Lozina-Lozinskaja.

Gagea filiformis is an Asian species of plants in the lily family, native to Russia, China (Xinjiang), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Mongolia.

Gagea olgae is an Asian species of plants in the lily family. It is native to Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Xinjiang.

Rheum lhasaense is a plant from eastern Tibet belonging to the genus Rheum in family Polygonaceae. It is a mid-sized rhubarb species with triangular leaves and spherical fruit.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Лозина-Лозинская, Агния Сергеевна (1936). "Rheum". In Комаро́в, Влади́мир Лео́нтьевич (ed.). Flora SSSR, Vol. 5 (in Russian). Moscow: Издателство Академии Наук СССР. pp. 484, 497, 498.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Лозина-Лозинская, Агния Сергеевна (1932). "Новые Ревени Средней Аэии". Известия Ботанического сада АН СССР (in Russian). 30 (1–2): 382–383. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  3. ↑ Czerepanov, Sergeĭ Kirillovich (1995). Vascular plants of Russia and adjacent states (the former USSR). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 412. ISBN   978-0-521-45006-5.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Статьи Ревень Максимовича". Грибы Казахстана (in Russian). Василий Федоренко. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  5. 1 2 Alimgazinova B.; Kenenbayev S.; Yessimbekova M.; Mukin K. (March 2007). Country Report on the State of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in the Kazakhstan Republic (PDF) (Report). Almaty: Scientific and Production Center of Farming and Plant Growing, Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan Republic. p. 64. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vladimir Kolbintsev; Kurt Vickery (April 2013). The Tulips of the Tien Shan (PDF) (Report). Greentours Natural History Holidays. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Rheum maximowiczii". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 Mazhitova, A. T.; Kulmyrzaev, A. A.; Ozbekova, Z. E.; Bodoshev, A. (2015). "Amino Acid and Fatty Acid Profile of the Mare's Milk Produced on Suusamyr Pastures of the Kyrgyz Republic During Lactation Period" (PDF). Procedia. 195: 2684. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.06.479 . Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  9. ↑ "Ревень Максимовича - Rheum maximowiczii - Описание таксона - Плантариум". Plantarium (in Russian). Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 "Қасқасу шатқалының орналасуы мен табиғат жағдайы" (in Kazakh). 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  11. ↑ Vanselow, Kim André; Samimi, Cyrus; Breckle, Siegmar-W. (16 February 2016). "Preserving a Comprehensive Vegetation Knowledge Base – An Evaluation of Four Historical Soviet Vegetation Maps of the Western Pamirs (Tajikistan)". PLOS ONE. 11 (2): e0148930. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1148930V. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148930 . PMC   4755548 . PMID   26881428.
  12. ↑ Savela, Markku. "Callophrys". Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Markku Savela. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  13. ↑ "Русско-казахский словарь". Sozdik.kz (in Russian). Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  14. ↑ Phenylbutanoids and stilbene derivatives of Rheum maximowiczii. Yasuhiro Shikishima, Yoshihisa Takaishi, Gisho Honda, Michiho Ito, Yoshio Takeda, Olimjon K. Kodzhimatov and Ozodbek Ashurmetov, Phytochemistry, 2001, volume 56, issue 4, pages 377–381, doi : 10.1016/S0031-9422(00)00370-8
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