Saponaria officinalis

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Saponaria officinalis
Saponaria-officinalis-flower.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Saponaria
Species:
S. officinalis
Binomial name
Saponaria officinalis
L.
Synonyms [1]
  • Bootia saponaria Neck.
  • Bootia vulgaris Neck
  • Lychnis officinalis (L.) Scop.
  • Silene saponaria Fr. ex Willk. & Lange
Pods and seeds Saponaria officinalis MHNT.BOT.40.40.jpg
Pods and seeds

Saponaria officinalis is a common perennial plant from the family Caryophyllaceae. This plant has many common names, [2] including common soapwort, [3] bouncing-bet, [3] crow soap, [2] wild sweet William, [2] and soapweed. [4] There are about 20 species of soapworts altogether.

Contents

The scientific name Saponaria is derived from the Latin sapo (stem sapon-) meaning "soap", which, like its common name, refers to its utility in cleaning. From this same Latin word is derived the name of the toxic substance saponin, contained in the roots at levels up to 20 percent when the plant is flowering [5] (Indian soapnuts contain only 15 percent). It produces a lather when in contact with water. The epithet officinalis indicates its medicinal functions. It is a common host plant for some moth species, including the white-lined sphinx. [6]

Saponaria officinalis' native range extends throughout Europe, and in Asia to western Siberia. It grows in cool places at low or moderate elevations under hedgerows and along the shoulders of roadways. It can be found as a horticultural escape and noxious invasive in much of North America. [7]

Description

Saponaria officinalis, Sainte-Genevieve-de-Batiscan, Quebec, Canada Saponaria officinalis 018.jpg
Saponaria officinalis, Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan, Quebec, Canada

The plant possesses leafy, unbranched stems (often tinged with red). It grows in patches, attaining a height of 70 cm (28 in). The broad, lanceolate, sessile leaves are opposite and between 4 and 12 cm long. Its sweetly scented flowers are radially symmetrical and pink, or sometimes white. Each of the five flat petals have two small scales in the throat of the corolla. They are about 2.5 cm (1 in) wide. They are arranged in dense, terminal clusters on the main stem and its branches. The long tubular calyx has five pointed red teeth.

A blooming clump at the Prague Botanical Garden Saponaria officinalis Prague 2011 1.jpg
A blooming clump at the Prague Botanical Garden

The individual flowers open in the evening, and stay open for about three days. [8] They produce a stronger scent at night and supplement nectar production during the night. [8] The flowers are protandrous: on the second night of blooming, the pollen is released, and the stigma develops to its final position by the third night. [8] Much of the seed production comes from self-pollination. [8] The flowers are visited by various insects including Noctuidae, Sphingidae, bumblebees, and hoverflies. [8]

In the Northern Hemisphere Saponaria officinalis blooms from May to September, and in the Southern Hemisphere October to March.

External use

As its common name implies, it can be used as a very gentle soap, usually in dilute solution. It has historically been used to clean delicate or unique textiles, especially woollen fabrics; [9] it has been hypothesized that the plant was used to treat the Shroud of Turin. [10]

A lathery liquid that has the ability to dissolve fats or grease can be procured by boiling the leaves or roots in water. Leaves are chopped, boiled, and strained; the liquid can then be used as soap. [11]

In the Romanian village of Șieu-Odorhei, natives call the plant săpunele. It is traditionally used by the villagers as a soap replacement for dry skin.[ citation needed ]

Internal use

An overdose can cause nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.[ citation needed ] [12]

Despite its toxic potential, Saponaria officinalis finds culinary use as an emulsifier in the commercial preparation of tahini [13] and in brewing to create beer with a good head. In the Middle East, the root is often used as an additive in the process of making halva. The plant is used to stabilize the oils in the mixture and to create the distinctive texture of halva.

Chemistry

Saponaria officinalis contains the flavone saponarin.

Related Research Articles

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

Saponaria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to Asia and Europe, and are commonly known as soapworts. They are herbaceous perennials and annuals, some with woody bases. The flowers are abundant, five-petalled and usually in shades of pink or white. The genus is closely related to the genus Silene, being distinguished from these by having only two styles in the flower. It is also related to Gypsophila, but its calyx is cylindrical rather than bell-shaped.

<i>Quillaja saponaria</i> Species of plant

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<i>Silene chalcedonica</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Dianthus barbatus</i> Species of flowering plant

Dianthus barbatus, the sweet William, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to southern Europe and parts of Asia. It has become a popular ornamental garden plant. It is a herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial plant growing to 13–92 cm tall, with flowers in a dense cluster of up to 30 at the top of the stems. Each flower is 2–3 cm diameter with five petals displaying serrated edges. Wild plants produce red flowers with a white base, but colours in cultivars range from white, pink, red, and purple to variegated patterns. The exact origin of its English common name is unknown but first appears in 1596 in botanist John Gerard's garden catalogue. The flowers are edible and may have medicinal properties. Sweet William attracts bees, birds, and butterflies.

<i>Lavandula angustifolia</i> Species of plant

Lavandula angustifolia, formerly L. officinalis, is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean. Its common names include lavender, true lavender and English lavender ; also garden lavender, common lavender and narrow-leaved lavender.

<i>Sphinx chersis</i> Species of moth

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<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>Pittosporum tenuifolium</i> Species of tree

Pittosporum tenuifolium is a small evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand – up to 10 m (33 ft) – commonly known as kōhūhū and black matipo, and by other Māori names kohukohu and tawhiwhi. Its small, very dark, reddish-purple flowers generally go unnoticed, and are scented only at night. The Latin tenuifolium means "slender-leaved"

<i>Sphinx canadensis</i> Species of moth

Sphinx canadensis, the Canadian sphinx, is a member of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1875.

<i>Silene noctiflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Silene noctiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common names night-flowering catchfly, nightflowering silene and clammy cockle. It is native to Eurasia, but it is known on other continents as an introduced species and sometimes a weed. In North America, it is a common weed of grain crops in the Canadian prairie provinces and in much of the United States. It grows in fields and in other disturbed habitat.

<i>Saponaria ocymoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Saponaria ocymoides, the rock soapwort or tumbling Ted, is a species of semi-evergreen perennial flowering plant belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae, native to south western and southern central Europe.

<i>Gentiana saponaria</i> Species of plant

Gentiana saponaria, the soapwort gentian or harvestbells, is a 1–2 ft (30–61 cm) tall flowering plant in the Gentianaceae family.

References

  1. "Saponaria officinalis L.". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  2. 1 2 3 "Saponaria officinalis". Plant Selector. Royal Horticultural Society. 2002.
  3. 1 2 "Saponaria officinalis". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  4. Slichter, Paul. "The Pink Family in the Columbia River Gorge: Caryophyllaceae".
  5. Hiltunen, Raimo; Holm, Yvonne. Farmakognosia (in Finnish). Helsinki University Press.
  6. "White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineata (Fabricius, 1775)". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  7. Chayka, Katy; Dziuk, Peter (2016). "Saponaria officinalis (Bouncing Bet)". Minnesota Wildflowers. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Wolff, D.; Witt, T.; Jurgens, A.; Gottsberger, G. (2006). "Nectar dynamics and reproductive success in Saponaria officinalis (Caryophyllaceae) in southern Germany". Flora. Morphologie, Geobotanik, Oekophysiologie. 201 (5): 353–364. doi:10.1016/j.flora.2005.07.010.
  9. Dioscorides, The Herbal of Dioscorides the Greek, Book 2:193, s.v. Strouthion
  10. "Shroud of Turin" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  11. Mabey, Richard (1977). Plants with a Purpose: A guide to the everyday use of wild plants. William Collins.
  12. "Saponaria officinalis (Bouncing-bet, Soapwort) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox".
  13. Arndt, Alice (10 August 1999). Seasoning Savvy: How to Cook With Herbs, Spices, and Other Flavorings. Psychology Press. pp. 215–. ISBN   978-1-56022-031-2 . Retrieved 3 June 2012.