Scolymus

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Scolymus
Scolymus April 2013-2.jpg
Scolymus hispanicus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Cichorioideae
Tribe: Cichorieae
Subtribe: Scolyminae
Genus: Scolymus
L.
Synonyms
  • Scolymus subg. MyscolusCass.
  • Myscolus(Cass.) Cass.

Scolymus is a genus of annual, biennial or perennial, herbaceous plants that is assigned to the family Asteraceae, and can be found in Macaronesia, around the Mediterranean, and in the Middle East. All species are spiny, thistle-like in appearance, with flowerheads that consist of yellow (rarely orange or white) ligulate florets, and canals that contain latex. It is sometimes called golden thistle or oyster thistle, and is known as سكوليمس (skwlyms) in Arabic and scolyme in French. [1]

Contents

Description

The species of Scolymus are spiny herbaceous annuals, biennials or perennials of up to 1¾ m high, that contain a milky latex. These have twenty chromosomes (2n=20). [2]

Root, stem and leaves

Biannual and perennial plants produce a stout taproot of up to 8 cm in diameter and 60 cm long. Young plants consist of a rosette of leaves, which may be variegated, once-pinnately spiny-lobed, to 30 cm long, and having short, fleshy stalks. The stems can be simple or carry many branches, and carry spiny wings along their lengths. The wavy leaves with prominent veins are pinnately divided and are alternately set along the stems. The leaf margin has prominent pale green or yellow veins and large teeth which are topped by fierce spines. The leaf surface may initially be covered in soft, felty hairs, which quickly clear away, most slowly on the veins. [1] [3]

Inflorescence, flowers and fruits

flowerhead of S. hispanicus with mites and beetles Yellow flower with critters.jpg
flowerhead of S. hispanicus with mites and beetles
cypselas encased in their paleae S.hisp.fruits-1.jpg
cypselas encased in their paleae

The flowerheads are seated at the end of the stem or in the limbs of the higher leaves, are arranged in a spike or a globose cluster and are subtended by two to more than five leaflike bracts. Each flowerhead is circled by an involucre that consists of many spine-tipped bracts in several rows, the outer papery and shorter than the inner ones, which are leaflike in consistency. These surround the common floral base (or receptacle), which is conical in shape and is set with ovate papery bracts called chaff or paleae. Inplanted are dorsally compressed cypselas, each enclosed by a palea, the outer rows higher than the inner ones. On top of the cypselas there may be two to five stiff scabrous bristles, which are equivalent to sepals (and are called pappus). Also, on top of the cypsela and within the pappus is a yellow, orange or white strap-like corolla which ends in five teeth, together comprising a ligulate floret. [1]

Characters common to all Asteraceae

Like in all Asteraceae, the pentameric flowers have anthers that are fused together forming a tube through which the style grows. The style picks up the pollen on hairs along its length and splits into two style branches at its tip. These parts sit on an inferior ovary that grows into an indehiscent fruit in which only one seed develops (a so-called cypsela). All florets are set on a common base (the receptacle), and are surrounded by several rows of bracts, that form an involucre. [1]

Characters common to Cichorieae

Golden thistles are assigned to the Cichorieae tribe that shares anastomosing latex canals in both root, stem and leaves, and has flower heads only consisting of one type of floret. In Scolymus these are ligulate florets, common to the group except for Warionia and Gundelia , which only have disk florets. A unique character setting Scolymus apart from the other Cichorieae are the dorsally compressed cypsellas which are surrounded by scales (or paleae). [1]

Differences between the species

S. maculatus is an annual of up to 1½ m high, there are more than five leaflike bracts subtending each globose cluster of flowerheads, and these bracts are pinnately divided. The yellow florets carry some black hairs. The cypselas do not have pappus at their top (but are encased by the paleae). The spined wings along the stems are uninterrupted. Leaves have a whitish vein along their margin.

S. grandiflorus is an annual or biennial of up to ¾ m high with one, two or three leaflike bracts subtending each cluster of flowerheads and these are spiny dentate. The yellow to orange florets do not have black hairs. The cypselas are topped by three to seven bristles of smooth pappus hairs (and are encased by the paleae). The spined wings along the stems are uninterrupted.

S. hispanicus is an annual, biennial or perennial of up to 1¾ m high and it also has one, two or three spiny dentate leaflike bracts subtending each cluster of flowerheads and the yellow, orange or white florets also lack black hairs. The cypselas however are topped by two to five bristles of scabrous pappus hairs (and are encased by the paleae). In this species the spined wings along the stems are interrupted. [1]

Taxonomy

Taxonomic history

In 1576 Carolus Clusius describes Scolimus Theophrasti (= S. hispanicus). In 1601 he extends the genus to three taxa, Scolymus Theophrasti Hispan. (= S. hispanicus subsp. hispanicus), S. Theophrasti Narbonensis (= S. maculatus), and Scolymus Dioscor. Castos Theophrasti (= S. grandiflorus). Rembert Dodoens in 1583 and Francesco Cupani in 1713 introduce the name Carduus Chrysanthemus (for S. maculatus), while in Johann Bauhin’s posthumously published great work, Historia plantarum universalis (1650-51), it is called Spina lutea, and Robert Morison in 1699 referred to S. hispanicus as Cichorium luteum. [1] Since all of these names predate the start of the Linnean nomenclature in 1753, neither of these were valid. In 1753 Carl Linnaeus referred to the description Joseph Pitton de Tournefort made in 1700, providing the valid scientific name Scolymus. [1]

Subdivisions

Generally two sections are recognised.

Phylogeny

According to recent genetic analyses, the genus Scolymus is related to the genera Hymenonema , Catananche and Gundelia . This results in the following relationship tree. [4]

subtribe Scolyminae

Etymology

The genus name Scolymus derives from the Greek σχόλυμος (skolymus) meaning "artichoke". Pliny used this name for Scolymus hispanicus. The species name hispanicus is Latin and means "from Spain", while maculatus is Latin and means "spotted", and grandiflorus is also Latin and means "large-flowered". [5]

Distribution

Ecology

Scolymus hispanicus it said to grow in the centre of Spain along roads and paths, particularly in unstable, loose and poor soils. The also grow in arable lands, both cultivated and fallowed, and in pastures. [6] The florets are pollinated by insects. [7]

Use

leaves stripped to the middle vein for sale as vegetables Scolyme vendu a Jerez de la frontera.JPG
leaves stripped to the middle vein for sale as vegetables
cooked egg on midveins of golden thistle Tagarninas DSC03720.JPG
cooked egg on midveins of golden thistle

Around the Mediterranean, such as in Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey, the midveins of the rosette leaves of S. hispanicus, known in Spain as cardillo or tagarnina, are used as a popular wild food. It is generally gathered in April and May. These midveins are preboiled and lightly fried with garlic in olive oil. These serve as garnish for cocido. Fried cardillo is further combined with garlic, cured ham, and hard-boiled or scrambled eggs. Midveins are also used raw in salads. The roots are cooked and eaten, and compare in taste to salsify. Roasted roots have been used as a coffee substitute. Florets have been used as imitation saffron. [6] [8] [9] [10]

The root bark of S. hispanicus has been shown to contain the triterpenoid taraxasteryl acetate, and this substance is effective in suppressing spasms. In Turkey it is a component of a herbal elixir called lityazol çemil. [11]

Studies have indicated that Scolymus might be used for the bio-removal of cadmium, with the highest concentration measured over 50 μg/g dry weight, and of methylene blue and Eriochrome Black T. [12] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asteraceae</span> Large family of flowering plants

Asteraceae is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger family is unclear as the quantity of extant species in each family is unknown. The Asteraceae were first described in the year 1740 and given the original name Compositae. The family is commonly known as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family.

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

Gundelia or tumble thistle is a low to high (20–100 cm) thistle-like perennial herbaceous plant with latex, spiny compound inflorescences, reminiscent of teasles and eryngos, that contain cream, yellow, greenish, pink, purple or redish-purple disk florets. It is assigned to the family Asteraceae. Flowers can be found from February to May. The stems of this plant dry-out when the seeds are ripe and break free from the underground root, and are then blown away like a tumbleweed, thus spreading the seeds effectively over large areas with little standing vegetation. This plant is native to the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle-East. Opinions differ about the number of species in Gundelia. Sometimes the genus is regarded monotypic, Gundelia tournefortii being a species with a large variability, but other authors distinguish up to nine species, differing in floret color and pubescence. Young stems are cooked and eaten in the Middle-East and are said to taste like a combination of artichoke and asparagus.

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

Carlina is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed from Madeira and the Canary Islands across Europe and northern Africa to Siberia and northwestern China.

<i>Scolymus hispanicus</i> Species of flowering plant

Scolymus hispanicus, the common golden thistle or Spanish oyster thistle, is a flowering plant in the genus Scolymus in the family Asteraceae, native to southern and western Europe, north to northwestern France.

<i>Scolymus maculatus</i> Species of flowering plant

Scolymus maculatus is a spiny annual plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the Mediterranean region in southern Europe, southwest Asia, and northern Africa, and also the Canary Islands. It has pinnately incised prickly leaves and prickly wings along the stems, both with a white marginal vein. The yellow flowerheads stand solitary or with a few together at the tip to the stems, and subtended by more than five leaflike bracts. The plant is known as scolyme taché in French, cardogna macchiata in Italian, cardo borriquero in Spanish, and escólimo-malhado in Portuguese, חוח עקוד in Hebrew and سنارية حولية in Arabic. In English it is called spotted golden thistle or spotted oyster thistle.

<i>Catananche caerulea</i> Species of flowering plant

Catananche caerulea, or Cupid's dart, is a greyish green perennial herbaceous plant with a basal leaf rosette and conspicuous blue-purple or sometimes white flowerheads, belonging to the daisy family. It is a popular garden plant and is often used in dried flower arrangements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calyceraceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Calyceraceae is a plant family in the order Asterales. The natural distribution of the about sixty species belonging to this family is restricted to the southern half of South America. The species of the family resemble both the family Asteraceae and the Dipsacaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cichorieae</span> Tribe of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae

The Cichorieae are a tribe in the plant family Asteraceae that includes 93 genera, more than 1,600 sexually reproductive species and more than 7,000 apomictic species. They are found primarily in temperate regions of the Eastern Hemisphere. Cichorieae all have milky latex and flowerheads that only contain one type of floret. The genera Gundelia and Warionia only have disk florets, while all other genera only have ligulate florets. The genera that contain most species are Taraxacum with about 1,600 apomictic species, Hieracium with about 770 sexually reproducing and 5,200 apomictic species, and Pilosella with 110 sexually reproducing and 700 apomictic species. Well-known members include lettuce, chicory, dandelion, and salsify.

<i>Ozothamnus ferrugineus</i> Species of plant

Ozothamnus ferrugineus, commonly known as tree everlasting, is a member of the genus Ozothamnus, of the Asteraceae family – one of the largest families of flowering plants in Australia. Native to the Australian states of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania, it forms an erect shrub or small tree between 2 and 3 metres in height.

<i>Polyarrhena</i> Genus of plants

Polyarrhena is a genus of low, branching shrublets that is assigned to the daisy family. Its stems are alternately and densely set with entire or somewhat toothed leaves. Like in almost all Asteraceae, the individual flowers are 5-merous, small and clustered in typical heads, and which are surrounded by an involucre of in this case three whorls of bracts. In Polyarrhena, the centre of the head is taken by yellow disc florets, and is surrounded by one single whorl of white ligulate florets that have a pinkish-purple wash on the underside. These florets sit on a common base and are not individually subtended by a bract. The species occur in the Cape Floristic Region. Polyarrhena reflexa has long been cultivated as an ornamental and is often known under its synonym Aster reflexum.

<i>Didelta</i> Plant genus in the Asteraceae from Southern Africa

Didelta is a genus of shrubs of up to 1 or 2 meter high, with two known species in the daisy family. Like in almost all Asteraceae, the individual flowers are 5-merous, small and clustered in typical heads, and are surrounded by an involucre, consisting of in this case two whorls of bracts, which are almost free from each other. The 3–5 outer bracts are protruding and triangular in shape, the inner about twice as many are lance-shaped and ascending. In Didelta, the centre of the head is taken by 3–5 clusters of bisexual yolk yellow disc florets, sometimes divided from each other by male disc florets, and is surrounded by one complete whorl of infertile yolk yellow ray florets. The common base of the flowerhead swells around the developing fruitlets, become woody and breaks into segments when ripe. The fruitlets germinate within this woody encasing. The species of the genus Didelta can be found in Namibia and South Africa. The genus is called salad thistle in English and slaaibos in Afrikaans.

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

Gymnarrhena is a deviant genus of plants in the family Asteraceae, with only one known species, Gymnarrhena micrantha. It is native to North Africa and the Middle East, as far east as Balochistan. Together with the very different Cavea tanguensis it constitutes the tribe Gymnarrheneae, and in the subfamily Gymnarrhenoideae.

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

Hymenonema is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae endemic to Greece. On each of the single or few stems, the species have one to three flowerheads consisting of yellow or yolk yellow ligulate florets, scaly pappus, greyish, pinnately segmented leaves in a basal rosette, and few smaller leaves on the 20–70 cm high stems. It contains two species: Hymenonema graecum, that is known from the Cyclades, and Hymenonema laconicum, which occurs in the central and south-eastern Peloponnesos.

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

Warionia is a genus in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. The only known species is Warionia saharae, an endemic of Algeria and Morocco, and it is locally known in the Berber language as afessas, abessas or tazart n-îfiss. It is an aromatic, thistle-like shrub of ½–2 m high, that contains a white latex, and has fleshy, pinnately divided, wavy leaves. It is not thorny or prickly. The aggregate flower heads contain yellow disk florets. It flowers from April till June. Because Warionia is deviant in many respects from any other Asteraceae, different scholars have placed it hesitantly in the Cardueae, Gundelieae, Mutisieae, but now genetic analysis positions it as the sister group to all other Cichorieae.

<i>Hymenonema graecum</i> Species of flowering plant

Hymenonema graecum is a perennial herbaceous plant of 20–70 cm, that rests with its buds at or just under the surface of the soil. The Greek vernacular name is Αδραλίδα (Adralida), meaning "handsome Lida". The leaves are pinnate, and may be up to 1 cm wide. The ligulate flowers are yellow. The species is an endemic of Greece.

<i>Hymenonema laconicum</i> Species of plant in the family Asteraceae

Hymenonema laconicum is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the Asteraceae family. It is small to average height, with a rosette of greyish pinnately segmented leaves, and little branching solid stems carrying one to three heads of orange or yolk yellow ray-flowers, with a purple anther tube, and scaly pappus. The species is an endemic of the central and south-eastern Peloponnesos, and flowers in May and June.

<i>Scolymus grandiflorus</i> Species of flowering plant

Scolymus grandiflorus is a spiny annual or biennial plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the Mediterranean region. With up to 75 cm high stems, it is the smallest of the species of Scolymus. Its stems are lined with uninterrupted spiny wings. It also has the largest flowerheads in the genus, of approximately 5 cm wide. It has yellow, sometimes yolk-yellow ligulate florets. Its vernacular name in Maltese is xewk isfar kbir, meaning "large yellow fin", cardogna maggiore in Italian, scoddi on Sicily, and scolyme à grandes fleurs in French.

Catananche lutea, is a woolly annual plant, in the family Asteraceae, with most leaves in a basal rosette, and some smaller leaves on the stems at the base of the branches. Seated horizontal flowerheads develop early on under the rosette leaves. Later, not or sparingly branching erect stems grow to 8–40 cm high, carrying solitary flowerheads at their tips with a papery involucre whitish to beige, reaching beyond the yellow ligulate florets. Flowers are present between April and June. This plant is unique for the five different types of seed it develops, few larger seeds from the basal flowerheads, which remain in the soil, and smaller seeds from the flowerheads above ground that may be spread by the wind or remain in the flowerhead when it breaks from the dead plant. This phenomenon is known as amphicarpy. The seeds germinate immediately, but in one type, germination is postponed. It naturally occurs around the Mediterranean. Sources in English sometimes refer to this species as yellow succory.

<i>Felicia echinata</i> Shrublet in the daisy family from South Africa

Felicia echinata, commonly known as the dune daisy or prickly felicia, is a species of shrub native to South Africa belonging to the daisy family. It grows to 1 m (3.3 ft) high and bears blue-purple flower heads with yellow central discs. In the wild, it flowers April to October.

<i>Felicia</i> (plant) Genus of shrublets, perennials and annuals in the daisy family

Felicia is a genus of small shrubs, perennial or annual herbaceous plants, with 85 known species, that is assigned to the daisy family. Like in almost all Asteraceae, the individual flowers are 5-merous, small, and clustered in typical heads, which are surrounded by an involucre of between two and four whorls of bracts. In Felicia, the centre of the head is taken by yellow, seldom whitish or blackish blue disc florets, and is almost always surrounded by one single whorl of mostly purple, sometimes blue, pink, white, or yellow ligulate florets, and rarely, ligulate florets are absent. These florets sit on a common base and are not individually subtended by a bract. Most species occur in the Cape Floristic Region, which is most probably the area where the genus originates and had most of its development. Some species can be found in the eastern half of Africa up to Sudan and the south-western Arabian Peninsula, while on the west coast, species can be found from the Cape to Angola, with one species having outposts on the Cameroon-Nigeria border and central Nigeria. Some species of Felicia are cultivated as ornamentals, and several hybrids have been developed for that purpose.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Váquez, F.M. (2000). "The genus Scolymus Tourn. ex L. (Asteraceae): taxonomy and distribution" (PDF). Anales del Jardín Botánico de Madrid . 58 (1): 83–100. Retrieved 2015-12-05.
  2. ↑ Eshel, Amram; Beeckman, Tom (2013). Plant Roots: The Hidden Half (4 ed.). CRC Press. ISBN   9781439846483 . Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  3. ↑ "Golden thistle". California Department of Food and Agriculture . Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  4. ↑ Liveri, Eleni; Tomasello, Salvatore; Oberprieler, Christoph; Kamari, Georgia (June 2016), Cytological and phylogenetic study of the Greek endemic genus Hymenonema Cass. (Cichorieae, Compositae) , retrieved 2016-11-09
  5. ↑ "Scolymus hispanicus". Flowers in Israel.
  6. 1 2 Polo, Sandra; Tardío, Javier; Vélez-del-Burgo, Ainhoa; Molina, María; Pardo-de-Santayana, Manuel (2009). "Knowledge, use and ecology of golden thistle (Scolymus hispanicus L.) in Central Spain". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine . 5 (42): 42. doi: 10.1186/1746-4269-5-42 . PMC   2808299 . PMID   20028498.
  7. ↑ "Scolymus hispanicus - Desf". Plants for a Future. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  8. ↑ Tardío, J.; Pascual, H.; Morales, R. (2005). "Wild food plants traditionally used in the province of Madrid, Central Spain". Economic Botany . 59 (2): 122–136. doi:10.1663/0013-0001(2005)059[0122:wfptui]2.0.co;2.
  9. ↑ Lentini, Francesca; Venza, Francesca (2007). "Wild food plants of popular use in Sicily". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine . 3 (15): 15. doi: 10.1186/1746-4269-3-15 . PMC   1858679 . PMID   17397527.
  10. ↑ "Scolymus hispanicus - Spanish salsify". Practical Plants. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  11. ↑ Kirimer, Neş'e; Tunalier, Zeynep; K. Hüsnü Can Başer; Cingi, Ipek (1997). "Taraxasteryl Acetate Antispasmodic and Spasmogenic Effects of Scolymus hispanicus and Taraxasteryl Acetate on Isolated Ileum Preparation". Planta Medica. 63 (6): 556–558. doi:10.1055/s-2006-957765. PMID   17252378.
  12. ↑ Barkaa, Noureddine; Abdennouria, Mohammed; Boussaoudb, Abdelghani; EL Makhfouk, Mohammed (2010). "Biosorption characteristics of Cadmium(II) onto Scolymus hispanicus L. as low-cost natural biosorbent". Desalination. 258 (1–3): 66–71. Bibcode:2010Desal.258...66B. doi:10.1016/j.desal.2010.03.046.
  13. ↑ Barkaa, Noureddine; Abdennouria, Mohammed; EL Makhfouk, Mohammed (2011). "Removal of Methylene Blue and Eriochrome Black T from aqueous solutions by biosorption on Scolymus hispanicus L.: Kinetics, equilibrium and thermodynamics". Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. 42 (2): 320–326. doi:10.1016/j.jtice.2010.07.004.
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