Tropaeolum majus

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Tropaeolum majus
Tropaeolum majus 2005 G1.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Tropaeolaceae
Genus: Tropaeolum
Species:
T. majus
Binomial name
Tropaeolum majus
L.
Synonyms [1] [2]
  • Cardamindum majus(L.) Moench
  • Nasturtium indicumGarsault
  • Tropaeolum elatumSalisb.
  • Tropaeolum hortenseSparre
  • Tropaeolum hybridumL.
  • Tropaeolum pinnatumAndrews
  • Tropaeolum quinquelobumBergius
  • Trophaeum majus(L.) Kuntze

Tropaeolum majus, the garden nasturtium, nasturtium, [3] Indian cress or monk's cress, is a species of flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae, originating in the Andes from Bolivia north to Colombia. An easily-grown annual or short-lived perennial [4] with disc-shaped leaves and brilliant yellow, orange or red flowers, it is of cultivated, probably hybrid origin. [5] It is not closely related to the genus Nasturtium (which includes watercress).

Contents

Etymology

The species was originally called Nasturtium indicum ("Indian nasturtium") but the plant is not related to the true Nasturtium genus.

The current genus name Tropaeolum, coined by Linnaeus, means "little trophy". Tropaeolum is the diminutive form of the Latin tropaeum, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek τρόπαιον : trópaion "trophy".

The Latin specific epithet majus means "larger" (the neuter form of major). [6]

Description

It is a fast-growing plant, with trailing stems growing to 0.9–1.8 m (3–6 ft). The leaves are large, nearly circular, 3 to 15 cm (1 to 6 in) in diameter, green to glaucous green above, paler below; they are peltate, with the 5–30 cm long petiole near the middle of the leaf, with several veins radiating to the smoothly rounded or slightly lobed margin.

Lotus effect

Nasturtium leaves, like some other species, demonstrate the lotus effect, whereby rainwater falling on the surface gathers into globular droplets which roll off the leaf, leaving it dry and clean. [7]

Flowers and fruit

Garden Nasturtium at Cass House Garden, Cayucos, California. Note the veining of the bright orange into the yellow of the flower center Nasturtium @ Cass House Garden, Cayucos.jpg
Garden Nasturtium at Cass House Garden, Cayucos, California. Note the veining of the bright orange into the yellow of the flower center

The flowers are 2.5–6 cm in diameter, mildly scented, [8] with five petals, eight stamens, and a 2.5–3 cm long nectar spur at the rear; they vary from yellow to orange to red, frilled and often darker at the base of the petals. The fruit is 2 cm broad, three-segmented, each segment with a single large seed 1–1.5 cm long. [9] [10]

The Elizabeth Linnaeus phenomenon

Das Elisabeth Linné-Phänomen, or the Elizabeth Linnæus Phenomenon, is the name given to the phenomenon of "flashing flowers". [11] Especially at dusk, the orange flowers may appear to emit small "flashes". Once believed to be an electrical phenomenon, it is today thought to be an optical reaction in the human eye caused by the contrast between the orange flowers and the surrounding green. The phenomenon is named after Elisabeth Christina von Linné, one of Carl Linnaeus's daughters, who discovered it at age 19. [12]

Ecology

The garden nasturtium is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the dot moth, [13] the garden carpet moth [14] and the large white or cabbage white butterfly. [15]

Introduced range

The species has become naturalized in parts of the United States (California, New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Virginia), [16] [17] as well as parts of Europe and Asia, Africa and Australia. [16] It is listed as invasive in Hawaii and Lord Howe Island, Australia. [10]

Cultivation and uses

Nasturtium Seeds Nasturtium Seeds.jpg
Nasturtium Seeds
Roses and Nasturtiums in a Vase by Henri Fantin-Latour Fantin-Latour, Henri - Roses and Nasturtiums in a Vase.jpg
Roses and Nasturtiums in a Vase by Henri Fantin-Latour

Tropaeolum majus cultivars are widely grown as easy annual plants, and will grow in poor, damp soil in full sun. The large seeds are easy to handle individually.

As they do not tolerate heavy frost, in cooler climates they are best sown under glass in heat, and planted out after all danger of frost has passed. Alternatively, as they are fast-growing, they may be sown in situ after that time.

Many flower colours are available, in the warm spectrum from cream through yellow, orange, red and maroon. Some have highly decorative marbling on the leaves.

The groups Whirlybird Series [18] and Alaska Series [19] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [20]

Culinary

Salad with flowers and leaves P7024519nasutachiumusarada.jpg
Salad with flowers and leaves

All of the above-ground parts of the plants are edible. [21] The flower has most often been consumed, making for an especially ornamental salad ingredient; it has a slightly peppery taste reminiscent of watercress, and is also used in stir fry. The flowers contain about 130 mg vitamin C per 100 g (3+1⁄2 oz), [22] about the same amount as is contained in parsley. [23] Moreover, they contain up to 45 mg of lutein per 100 g, [24] which is the highest amount found in any edible plant.[ citation needed ] The unripe seed pods can be harvested and dropped into spiced vinegar to become a condiment and garnish, sometimes used in place of capers. [25]

Traditional medicine

Some native South Americans used the plant medicinally, apparently due to its antibiotic and antibacterial properties. [26] Some Europeans ate it to treat urinary and genital infections. [26]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tropaeolum</i> Genus of plants in the family Tropaeolaceae

Tropaeolum, commonly known as nasturtium, is a genus of roughly 80 species of annual and perennial herbaceous flowering plants. It was named by Carl Linnaeus in his book Species Plantarum, and is the only genus in the family Tropaeolaceae. The nasturtiums received their common name because they produce an oil similar to that of watercress.

<i>Alstroemeria</i> Genus of South American flowering plants

Alstroemeria, commonly called the Peruvian lily or lily of the Incas, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Alstroemeriaceae. They are all native to South America, although some have become naturalized in the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Madeira and the Canary Islands. Almost all of the species are restricted to one of two distinct centers of diversity; one in central Chile, the other in eastern Brazil. Species of Alstroemeria from Chile are winter-growing plants, while those of Brazil are summer growing. All are long-lived perennials except A. graminea, a diminutive annual from the Atacama Desert of Chile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watercress</span> Species of flowering plant in the cabbage family

Watercress or yellowcress is a species of aquatic flowering plant in the cabbage family, Brassicaceae.

<i>Nasturtium</i> (plant genus) Genus of flowering plants

Nasturtium is a genus of a small number of plant species in the family Brassicaceae commonly known as watercress or yellowcress. The best known species are the edible Nasturtium officinale and Nasturtium microphyllum. Nasturtium was previously synonymised with Rorippa, but molecular evidence supports its maintenance as a distinct genus more closely related to Cardamine than to Rorippasensu stricto.

<i>Impatiens walleriana</i> Species of flowering plant

Impatiens walleriana, also known as busy Lizzie, balsam, sultana, or simply impatiens, is a species of the genus Impatiens, native to eastern Africa from Kenya to Mozambique. The Latin specific epithet walleriana honours a British missionary, Horace Waller (1833–1896).

<i>Berberis</i> Genus of flowering plants representing the barberry family

Berberis, commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from 1–5 m (3.3–16.4 ft) tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world. Species diversity is greatest in South America and Asia; Europe, Africa and North America have native species as well. The best-known Berberis species is the European barberry, Berberis vulgaris, which is common in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia, and has been widely introduced in North America. Many of the species have spines on the shoots and all along the margins of the leaves.

<i>Passiflora caerulea</i> Species of flowering plant in the passion flower family Passifloraceae

Passiflora caerulea, the blue passionflower, bluecrown passionflower or common passion flower, is a species of flowering plant native to South America. It has been introduced elsewhere. It is a vigorous, deciduous or semi-evergreen tendril vine growing to 10 m (33 ft) or more. Its leaves are palmate, and its fragrant flowers are blue-white with a prominent fringe of coronal filaments in bands of blue, white, yellow, and brown. The ovoid orange fruit, growing to 6 cm (2 in), is edible, but is variously described as having a bland, undesirable, or insipid taste. In South America, the plant is known for its medicinal properties, and is used by both the Toba and the Maka peoples.

<i>Hosta</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae

Hosta is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name gibōshi. Hostas are widely cultivated as shade-tolerant foliage plants. The genus is currently placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae, and is native to northeast Asia. Like many "lilioid monocots", the genus was once classified in the Liliaceae. The genus was named by Austrian botanist Leopold Trattinnick in 1812, in honor of the Austrian botanist Nicholas Thomas Host. In 1817, the generic name Funkia was used by German botanist Kurt Sprengel in honor of Heinrich Christian Funck, a collector of ferns and alpines; this was later used as a common name and can be found in some older literature.

<i>Celosia argentea</i> Species of edible flowering plant

Celosia argentea, commonly known as the plumed cockscomb or silver cock's comb, is a herbaceous plant of tropical origin in the Amaranthaceae family from India and Nepal. The plant is known for its very bright colors. In India and China it is known as a troublesome weed.

<i>Tropaeolum peregrinum</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae

Tropaeolum peregrinum, the canary-creeper, canarybird flower, canarybird vine, or canary nasturtium, is a species of Tropaeolum native to western South America in Peru and possibly also Ecuador.

<i>Rhus typhina</i> Species of flowering plant

Rhus typhina, the staghorn sumac, is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae, native to eastern North America. It is primarily found in southeastern Canada, the northeastern and midwestern United States, and the Appalachian Mountains, but it is widely cultivated as an ornamental throughout the temperate world. It is an invasive species in some parts of the world.

<i>Mertensia virginica</i> Species of flowering plant

Mertensia virginica is a spring ephemeral plant in the Boraginaceae (borage) family with bell-shaped sky-blue flowers, native to eastern North America.

<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. It is also widely naturalised farther north in Europe and elsewhere in warm temperate regions of the world.

<i>Coleus scutellarioides</i> Species of flowering plant

Coleus scutellarioides, commonly known as coleus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to southeast Asia through to Australia. Typically growing to 60–75 cm (24–30 in) tall and wide, it is a bushy, woody-based evergreen perennial, widely grown for the highly decorative variegated leaves found in cultivated varieties. Another common name is painted nettle, reflecting its relationship to deadnettles, which are in the same family. The synonyms Coleus blumei, Plectranthus scutellarioides and Solenostemon scutellarioides are also widely used for this species.

<i>Tulbaghia violacea</i> Species of flowering plant

Tulbaghia violacea, commonly known as society garlic, pink agapanthus, wild garlic, sweet garlic, spring bulbs, or spring flowers, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, indigenous to southern Africa, and reportedly naturalized in Tanzania and Mexico.

<i>Tropaeolum speciosum</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae

Tropaeolum speciosum, the flame flower or flame nasturtium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae native to Chile, where it is known locally as coralito, quintralito, or voqui.

<i>Tropaeolum tricolor</i> Species of plant

Tropaeolum tricolor, the three-coloured Indian cress or Chilean nasturtium, is a species of perennial plant in the family Tropaeolaceae. It is endemic to Chile, where it is called soldadito rojo and relicario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisabeth Christina von Linné</span> Swedish botanist

Elisabeth Christina von Linné (1743–1782) was a Swedish botanist, daughter of Carl Linnaeus and Sara Elisabeth Moræa.

<i>Psylliodes chrysocephala</i> Species of beetle

Psylliodes chrysocephala or Psylliodes chrysocephalus, commonly known as the cabbage-stem flea beetle, is a species of leaf beetle situated in the subfamily Galerucinae and the tribe Alticini.

Tropaeolum beuthii is a species of flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae, native to Northern Chile. Growing to 1 m (3.3 ft) in height, it is a tuberous summer-dormant climber. It belongs to the same genus as the more familiar annual nasturtium of gardens, Tropaeolum majus.

References

  1. ↑ Tropicos
  2. ↑ The Plant List
  3. ↑ "Tropaeolum majus". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  4. ↑ "Tropaeolum majus". Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk. Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  5. ↑ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN   0-333-47494-5.
  6. ↑ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN   978-1845337315.
  7. ↑ "Scientific Image - Water Droplet on a Nasturtium Leaf". NISE (National informal stem education network). Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  8. ↑ Tropaeolum majus - L. Plants For A Future
  9. ↑ Jepson Flora: Tropaeolum majus
  10. 1 2 Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk: Tropaeolum majus
  11. ↑ H. W. "Das Elisabeth Linné-Phänomen (sogenanntes Blitzen der Blüten) und seine Deutungen", Nature (nature.com). Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  12. ↑ "Försenad jätteplantering till Malmös schlagerfest, expert varnar för kalkning och kogödsel på påse", Odla med P1, Sveriges Radio, 29 April 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013. (in Swedish)
  13. ↑ "Dot Moth - Melanchra persicariae". Recording the wildlife of Leicestershire and Rutland. NatureSpot. Retrieved 2012-06-21.
  14. ↑ Plymley, Katherine. "Garden Carpet Moth and Caterpillar Xanthorhoe fluctuata, Nasturtium". Shrewsbury Museums Service. Retrieved 2012-06-21.
  15. ↑ "Cabbage caterpillars". Royal Horticultural Society. 2011-02-22. Archived from the original on 2013-02-25. Retrieved 2012-06-21.
  16. 1 2 Flora of North America v 7 p 166
  17. ↑ "Plants Profile for Tropaeolum majus (nasturtium)". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  18. ↑ "RHS Plantfinder - Tropaeolum majus Whirlybird Series" . Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  19. ↑ "RHS Plantfinder - Tropaeolum majus Alaska Series" . Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  20. ↑ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 103. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  21. ↑ Nyerges, Christopher (2016). Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America: More than 150 Delicious Recipes Using Nature's Edibles. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 124. ISBN   978-1-4930-1499-6.
  22. ↑ "Tropaeolum minus". Plants For A Future. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  23. ↑ United States Department of Agriculture Research Service (2010). "USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 23". Agricultural Research Service . Nutrient Data Laboratory.
  24. ↑ Niizu, P.Y. & Rodriguez-Amaya, Delia B. (2005). "Flowers and Leaves of Tropaeolum majus L. as Rich Sources of Lutein". Journal of Food Science. 70 (9): S605–S609. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.2005.tb08336.x. ISSN   1750-3841.
  25. ↑ Owen, Marion. "Poor Man's Capers: How to make gourmet capers from nasturtium seed pods" . Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  26. 1 2 Lyle, Katie Letcher (2010) [2004]. The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: How to Find, Identify, and Cook Them (2nd ed.). Guilford, CN: FalconGuides. p. 130. ISBN   978-1-59921-887-8. OCLC   560560606.
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