Rheum rhabarbarum

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Rheum rhabarbarum
Rheum undulatum in Jardin botanique de la Charme.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Genus: Rheum
Species:
R. rhabarbarum
Binomial name
Rheum rhabarbarum
Synonyms
  • Rheum franzenbachiiMünter [1] [2]
  • Rheum franzenbachii var. mongoliumMünter [2]
  • Rheum macropterum Mart. [1]
  • Rheum muricatumBlanco [1]
  • Rheum sanguineumMeisn. [1]
  • Rheum undulatum L. [1]
  • Rheum undulatum var. longifoliumC. Y. Cheng & T. C. Kao [2]

Rheum rhabarbarum is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae, native to southern Siberia to north and central China. [1] 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.

Contents

Taxonomy

Rheum rhabarbarum was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. [3] Linnaeus also described R. undulatum, but this is now considered to be the same species. [1]

The name rha barbarum, Latin for 'foreign rha', was first used in the writings of Celsus, who uses the word to describe a valued medicinal root imported from the east. [4]

Description

Similar species

According to the 2003 key in the Flora of China , this species is distinguished from other entire-leaved rhubarbs in China with leaves having a wavy or crisped margin; R. wittrockii, R. webbianum, R. australe and R. hotaoense, by having less than 1 cm-sized fruit, yellow-white to greenish-white flowers, and the surface of the rachis of panicle covered in papilla. In many characters it is most similar to R. webbianum, and somewhat less so R. hotaoense. [5]

Karyotypy

There have been at least two studies investigating the karyotypy of this species, both studies focussing on the synonym R. undulatum. Both 2n=22 and 2n=44 have been found. It is possible that this karyotypic diversity indicates the existence of one or more cryptic species, because the polyploid forms would essentially be reproductively isolated. [6]

Distribution

It is native to an area of southeastern Siberia in the Daurian region around and stretching east from Lake Baikal in Russia, and in northern Mongolia. [7] [8] In China, it occurs in the northern provinces of Hebei, [2] [9] Heilongjiang, [2] [9] Henan, [9] Hubei, [2] [9] Jilin, [2] [9] Inner Mongolia, [2] [9] Shanxi [2] [9] and Shaanxi. [9]

Rheum rhabarbarum growing in the Bergianska Tradgarden in Stockholm, Sweden Rheum undulatum - Bergianska tradgarden - Stockholm, Sweden - DSC00564.JPG
Rheum rhabarbarum growing in the Bergianska Trädgården in Stockholm, Sweden

Habitat & ecology

In China it is known as a species growing on mountain slopes at 1000–1600 m elevation. [2] In Russia it occurs in sandy ground along field edges, on the steppes, and in the regionally uncommon copses of woodland. [7]

In China it flowers in June, and has fruit after July. [2]

Most documented insect relationships with this species are muddied by the misapplication of the name R. rhabarbarum to plants of R. × hybridum. As such most of the insects which are said to use this species as a food plant are generalists from Europe or North America which did not actually eat this species nor are native to the region where this species occurs. An exception is the butterfly Lycaena violacea , whose caterpillars are only known to feed on R. rhabarbarum and whose range is concurrent with that of its host plant (most Lycaena spp. are specialised on Polygonaceae). Cosmia trapezina var. exigua is roughly native to some of the same areas, and its European variety has been found to have eaten rhubarb in Finland (it usually feeds on various tree species). Other species found to eat (garden) rhubarb which occur in the native range of this plant are Arctia caja , Hydraecia micacea , Spilarctia luteum and Xestia baja . [10]

Fruit Rheum undulatum g1.jpg
Fruit

Cultivation

Rheum rhabarbarum (syn. R. undulatum) was one of a number of distinct species grown in Europe before the beginning of the 18th century. Initially the roots of a related species, possibly R. rhaponticum , were used for medicinal purposes. A putative hybrid of unknown origin, Rheum × hybridum, was also grown. The three taxa were grown as vegetable crops in England and Scandinavia by the early 18th century. They readily hybridize, and culinary rhubarb was developed by selecting open-pollinated seed, so that its precise origin is almost impossible to determine. [11] In appearance, culinary rhubarb varies continuously between R. rhabarbarum and R. rhaponticum. Modern rhubarb cultivars are tetraploids with 2n = 44, in contrast to 2n=22 for the wild species such as R. rhaponticum. [12]

Related Research Articles

Polygonaceae The knotweed family of flowering plants

The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus Polygonum, and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 in his book, Genera Plantarum. The name may refer to the many swollen nodes the stems of some species have, being derived from Greek, poly meaning 'many' and gony meaning 'knee' or 'joint'. Alternatively, it may have a different derivation, meaning 'many seeds'.

Rhubarb Species of herbaceous perennial plant with fleshy, sour edible stalks

Rhubarb is a vegetable derived from cultivated plants in the genus Rheum in the family Polygonaceae. The whole plant – a herbaceous perennial growing from short, thick rhizomes – is also called rhubarb. Historically, different plants have been called "rhubarb" in English. The fleshy, edible stalks (petioles) of other species and hybrids were cooked and used for food. The large, triangular leaves contain high levels of oxalic acid and anthrone glycosides, making them inedible. The small flowers are grouped in large compound leafy greenish-white to rose-red inflorescences.

<i>Rumex</i>

The docks and sorrels, genus Rumex, are a genus of about 200 species of annual, biennial, and perennial herbs in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. Members of this genus are very common perennial herbs with a native almost worldwide distribution, and introduced species growing in the few places where the genus is not native.

<i>Fallopia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the knotweed family Polygonaceae

Fallopia is a genus of about 12 species of flowering plants in the buckwheat family, often included in a wider treatment of the related genus Polygonum in the past, and previously including Reynoutria. The genus is native to temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, but species have been introduced elsewhere. The genus includes species forming vines and shrubs.

<i>Rheum palmatum</i>

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.

<i>Rheum nobile</i>

Rheum nobile, the Sikkim rhubarb or noble rhubarb or पदमचाल, is a giant herbaceous plant native to the Himalaya, from northeastern Afghanistan, east through northern Pakistan and India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, and Tibet to Myanmar, occurring in the alpine zone at 4000–4800 m altitude.

<i>Rheum</i> (plant)

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>Rheum officinale</i>

Rheum officinale, the Chinese rhubarb, or Indian rhubarb is a rhubarb from the family Polygonaceae native to China. In Chinese it is called yào yòng dà huáng, literally meaning medicinal rhubarb.

Petiole (botany)

In botany, the petiole is the stalk that attaches the leaf blade to the stem, and is able to twist the leaf to face the sun. This gives a characteristic foliage arrangement to the plant. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole in some species are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile or apetiolate.

<i>Oxyria</i>

Oxyria is a genus of plants in the family Polygonaceae with three accepted species as of March 2019. It has a circumboreal distribution.

<i>Rheum australe</i>

Rheum australe, synonym Rheum emodi, is a flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae. It is commonly known as Himalayan rhubarb,, Indian rhubarb and Red-veined pie plant. It is a medicinal herb used in the Indian Unani system of medicine, and formerly in the European system of medicine where it was traded as Indian rhubarb. The plant is found in the sub-alpine and alpine Himalayas at an altitude of 4000 m.

<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 the nature 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.

<i>Rheum rhaponticum</i>

Rheum rhaponticum, the false rhubarb, rhapontic rhubarb or rhapontic, is a plant species in the genus Rheum found in the wild. It is the only Rheum species found only in Europe, and is now restricted to the Rila mountain range in south-western Bulgaria. It was introduced to other countries in Europe. It is considered to be one of the parents of the modern culinary rhubarb.

<i>Podalyria argentea</i>

Podalyria argenteaSalisb. is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, native to the Cape Province of South Africa.

<i>Acalypha australis</i>

Acalypha australis, commonly known as Asian copperleaf, is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae native to eastern Asia.

Allium spirale, also known as Korean aging chive, is a plant species native to Korea, Primorye, and parts of China. It is cultivated in many other regions and has for some reason obtained the common name German garlic. Other common names include spiral onion, corkscrew onion, and curly chives.

Iris ludwigii, with the common name Ludwig iris, is a species in the genus Iris. It is also in the subgenus Iris subg. Limniris and in the series Spuriae. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant with violet-blue flowers. It is native to the Altai Mountains in Central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan meet. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

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.

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

Rheum webbianum is a species of herbaceous perennial rhubarb-relative in the family Polygonaceae from the southwestern Himalayan region, known in (Indian) English as Indian rhubarb, Gilgiti rhubarb or small Himalayan rhubarb.

Koenigia campanulata is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae. It is native to China, Bhutan, north Myanmar, Nepal and Sikkim. It has been introduced into south Chile, Great Britain and Ireland.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Rheum rhabarbarum L.", Plants of the World Online , Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , retrieved 2019-03-10
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Bojian (包伯坚), Bao; Grabovskaya-Borodina, Alisa E. (2003). "Rheum rhabarbarum". In Zhengyi (吴征镒), Wu; Raven, Peter H.; Deyuan (洪德元), Hong (eds.). Flora of China, Vol. 5. Beijing: Science Press. p. 343.
  3. ↑ "Plant Name Details for Rheum rhabarbarum L.", The International Plant Names Index , retrieved 2019-03-10
  4. ↑ Alam, Shamshad; Khan, Naeem A. (2015). "Rhubarb (Rewand), A Review" (PDF). Hamdard Medicus. 58 (1): 84–96. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  5. ↑ Bojian (包伯坚), Bao; Grabovskaya-Borodina, Alisa E. (2003). "Rheum". In Zhengyi (吴征镒), Wu; Raven, Peter H.; Deyuan (洪德元), Hong (eds.). Flora of China, Vol. 5. Beijing: Science Press. p. 341.
  6. ↑ Ruirui, Liu; Wang, Ailan; Tian, Xinmin; Wang, Dongshi; Liu, Jianquan (2010). "Uniformity of karyotypes in Rheum (Polygonaceae), a species-rich genus in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and adjacent regions". Caryologia Firenze. 63 (1): 82–90. doi:10.1080/00087114.2010.10589711 . Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  7. 1 2 Смекалова, Т.Н.; Ушакова, Р.С. (19 October 2004). "AgroAtlas - Дикие родичи культурных растений - Ареал Rheum rhabarbarum L. (Ревень волнистый)". AgroAtlas, Interactive Agricultural Ecological Atlas of Russia and Neighboring Countries (in Russian). Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  8. ↑ Smekalova, T.N. "AgroAtlas - Relatives - Rheum rhabarbarum L. - Wavy Rhubarb". AgroAtlas, Interactive Agricultural Ecological Atlas of Russia and Neighboring Countries. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Species Catalogue of China, Plants". 中国 生物物种名录 植物卷 (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press. 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  10. ↑ Savela, Markku (27 September 1998). "Rheum". Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Markku Savela. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  11. ↑ Tanhuanpää, Pirjo; Suojala-Ahlfors, Terhi & Hartikainen, Merja (2019), "Genetic diversity of Finnish home garden rhubarbs (Rheum spp.) assessed by simple sequence repeat markers", Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 66 (1): 17–25, doi:10.1007/s10722-018-0692-8
  12. ↑ Libert, Bo & Englund, Roger (1989). "Present Distribution and Ecology of Rheum rhaponticum (Polygonaceae)". Willdenowia. 19 (1): 91–98. JSTOR   3996925.
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