Speared strawberry spinach

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Speared strawberry spinach
Spiked strawberry spinach (Blitum capitatum)

Spiked strawberry spinach ( Blitum capitatum )

Systematics
Order : Clove-like (Caryophyllales)
Family : Foxtail family (Amaranthaceae)
Subfamily : Chenopodioideae
Tribe : Anserineae
Genre : Blitum
Type : Speared strawberry spinach
Scientific name
Blitum capitatum
L.
Speared strawberry spinach, illustration

The spiked strawberry spinach ( Blitum capitatum , syn .: Chenopodium capitatum ), also called heady strawberry spinach , is an old vegetable from the genus Blitum in the Amaranthaceae family . The German name comes from the appearance of the red fruits. The leaves are used like spinach , the bright red fruits growing in the leaf axes are edible. Neither leaves nor fruits taste like strawberries.

description

This annual plant reaches a stature height of 20 to 60, sometimes up to 80 centimeters and forms a basal leaf rosette. The whole plant is glabrous or lightly floury pollinated. The stems are erect or ascending, simple or branched. The leaves are glandless and glabrous. The lowest leaves have long stalks. The leaf blades are triangular to spear-shaped, slightly toothed or entire, up to seven centimeters long and greenish underneath.

The flowers are in axillary, spherical, raspberry-like clusters. They are scarlet or dark red and become fleshy as the fruit ripens. The bracts have entire margins and are absent from the upper clusters. The shape of the flower clusters is a false ear. The flower stalks and the flower envelope are bare. There are three to five bracts that are initially herbaceous. A quarter to a third have grown together. The number of stamens is 0 or 1. Flowering period is June to August. The flowers are proterogynous and pollinated by the wind ( anemogamy ). Cross-pollination with other species is possible when they are nearby.

The fruit ball is five to ten millimeters thick. The fruits are red, juicy and fleshy and are reminiscent of mulberries. The seed is 0.8 to 1 millimeter long and 0.6 to 0.9 millimeters wide, ovate to ellipsoidal and keeled at the base. The seeds are dispersed by animals ( endozoochory , epizoochory ) and humans ( hemerochory ).

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 18.

Occurrence

In Europe, the species occurs wild in Spain, Italy, the Balkans and from France to southern Scandinavia, Finland and southern Russia, but does not grow anywhere in natural vegetation. In North America, the species is very common in the Rocky Mountains and grows on wet, shady banks of rivers and lakes, and as a weed in cultivated land. A home in America and human spread to Europe is therefore very likely. The species is rare in Central Europe and is rarely planted. It grows overgrown at ruderal sites on fresh, nutrient-rich loam soils of the colline to montane altitude . It thrives in societies of the Chenopodietea class. In Switzerland the species is classified as critically endangered.

Origin and history

Southern Europe and the Orient are seen as origin. In Europe the species has not been proven archaeobotanically. The conspicuous plant is also absent from all ancient authors as well as from medieval plant registers. The first mention is in the Rariorum Plantarum Historia of Carolus Clusius from 1601, who calls it Atriplex sylvestrix bacciferae , as berry-bearing wild melee . According to him, he got seeds from Spain. The strawberry spinach reaches the private gardens via the various botanical gardens, where the leaves were used as spinach vegetables. The strawberry spinach will soon have been replaced by the real spinach . In the middle of the 19th century, strawberry spinach was no longer listed as a cultivated crop. Around 1900 strawberry spinach is rarely found in cultivation. Even today it is grown almost exclusively as a rarity and for ornament because of the red berries. This type of vegetable was rarely selected by breeders.

Systematics

It was first described in 1753 by Carl von Linné under the name Blitum capitatum in Species Plantarum 1, p. 4. Linné summarized this species and the real strawberry spinach with fleshy fruits in a separate genus Blitum . Francesco Ambrosi introduced the spiky strawberry spinach in 1857 as Chenopodium capitatum in the genus Chenopodium (in: Flora del Tirolo Meridionale 2, p. 180). According to more recent molecular genetic studies, strawberry spinach is more closely related to the genus Spinacia than to goose feet ( Chenopodium ) in the narrower sense. Therefore, Fuentes-Bazan et al. (2012) removed it from the genus Chenopodium and put it back into the genus Blitum . This is grouped together with Spinacia in the Anserineae tribe .

Synonyms to Blitum capitatum L. , which are based on the same type specimen, are Blitum virgatum var. Capitatum (L.) Coss., Germ. & Wedd. , Chenopodium capitatum (L.) Ambrosi , Chenopodium capitatum (L.) Asch. and Morocarpus capitatus (L.) Scop. Other synonyms are Blitum petiolare Link , Blitum tataricum Mill. , Blitum terminale Stokes and Chenopodium capitatum var. Parvicapitatum S.L.Welsh .

use

Cultivation and harvest

It is sown from March to April. In the spring, covering with fleece can be advantageous for premature growth . But it can also be sown several times until July in order to be able to harvest young plants again and again. The best location is a light humus soil in full sun or light shade. But it also grows on all other normal soils. Waterlogging and compressed soils are not ideal. The germination time is 5 to 6 days, according to Vogel but also up to 20 days. The distance between the plants is best 15 to 20 cm by 15 to 20 cm. This can be varied to a distance of 25 to 35 cm between the rows. At the same time, the row should be thinned to 8 to 15 cm so that the plants have enough space to grow. The seed is covered with 2-3 cm of soil. 20 g of seeds are required for one are. Thinning is done with a plant size of 5 cm. The plants obtained by thinning are not good for transplanting because it does not tolerate strawberry spinach well. During the cultivation it is only necessary to ensure that competing herbs do not get out of hand. Strawberry spinach preferred like canola, pumpkin or buckwheat nitrate-nitrogen. Otherwise the care is similar to that of normal spinach. If it is very dry it should be watered. That promotes constant growth. This means that young leaves can be harvested continuously until flowering begins. The first harvest is possible after 10 to 12 weeks. In the literature, yields of 80 to 150 dt are given. The yield from a solitary plant can be up to 2 kg. The plant can stand until late autumn, when the fruits are harvested first, then the remaining leaves. Frost down to −10 ° C is tolerated. Strawberry spinach will make itself up and will come back next spring without any problems.

Multiplication

It is propagated generatively via seeds. Strawberry spinach is wind pollinator. Seeds are harvested when the fruits are orange to red. The berries are crushed to a mash and mixed with water. The seeds that fall to the bottom are better suited for propagation.

Diseases and pests

Since strawberry spinach is not grown commercially on large areas, diseases and pests are limited. Almost all diseases are possible that also occur in the other goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae) such as spinach .

use

food

  • Kitchen: The leaves of the whole rosette are used as cooked summer spinach. The edible red berries are edible, but not very tasty. Strawberry spinach is also eaten raw in salads.
  • Storage: Strawberry spinach is stored in the refrigerator in a plastic wrap or generally at 0 to 1 ° C and 95% relative humidity. This means it can be stored for about a week. Like spinach, it can also be frozen.

Ornamental plant

Because of its ornamental value, strawberry spinach is also often grown as an ornamental plant for decorative purposes.

Medical importance

  • Scurvy: Young leaves of strawberry spinach are richer in vitamin C than spinach and used to be used against this deficiency disease.
  • Laxative: The cooked leaves, reduced to a pulp, have very little laxative effect.
  • Pain Relief: The cooked leaves were also used by North American Indians to relieve toothache and rheumatism.

Common names

The other German-language trivial names exist or existed for the spiked strawberry spinach : Beermelde, Spanish strawberry ( Pinzgau ), Erdbeermelde, Erdbeermeyer, strawberry spinach, goose foot, Hahnenkam, Meyer, Schminkbeere, Steyr ( Old High German ), Stier (Old High German), Stir () , Stur (Old High German) and Sture (Old High German).

swell

literature

  • Siegmund Seybold (ed.): Schmeil-Fitschen interactive (CD-ROM), Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2001/2002, ISBN 3-494-01327-6 .
  • Udelgard Körber-Grohne: Useful Plants in Germany from Prehistory to Today . Theiss, Stuttgart 1995 (reprint ISBN 3-933203-40-6 ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c A. Strid and G. Weimarck, Botaniska notiser , Vol. 125, 1972, pp. 285-286.
  2. ↑ O. Schmeil et al., Flora of Germany and its neighboring areas , 88th reviewed edition, Quelle and Mayer, Wiesbaden, 1988, p. 338
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h G. Vogel et al., Handbuch des Spezial Gemüsebau - 127 Zuckerwurzel, 1996, Ulmer Verlag, ISBN 3-8001-5285-1 , pp. 1049-1052.
  4. ↑ a b U. Körber-Grohne, Nutzpflanze in Deutschland - Erdbeerspinat (Chenopodium capitata and C. foliosum) , 2nd edition, 1987, pp. 440–441.
  5. ↑ a b D. Guillet et al., Les Semence de Kokopelli , print: Première Impression - Nimes, 2004, p. 410.
  6. ↑ JC Röhling, WDJ Koch and FC Mertens, Germany Flora , Print: Friedrich Willmans, Frankfurt am Main, 1823, pp 282-283.
  7. ↑ a b c Chenopodium capitatum at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
  8. ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp.  347 .
  9. ↑ E. Gross, The practical vegetable seed cultivation. , Troschwitz ad Oder, 1904, p. 59
  10. ↑ First description scanned at BHL
  11. ↑ Gudrun Kadereit, Evgeny V. Mavrodiev, Elizabeth H. Zacharias & Alexander P. Sukhorukov: Molecular phylogeny of Atripliceae (Chenopodioideae, Chenopodiaceae): Implications for systematics, biogeography, flower and fruit evolution, and the origin of C4 Photosynthesis , In: American Journal of Botany , Volume 97 (10), 2010, pp. 1664-1687.
  12. ↑ Susy Fuentes-Bazan, Guilhem Mansion, Thomas Borsch: Towards a species level tree of the globally diverse genus Chenopodium (Chenopodiaceae) . In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 62, No. 1, August, pp. 359-374. ISSN 1055-7903 . doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2011.10.006 .  
  13. ↑ Susy Fuentes-Bazan, Pertti Uotila, Thomas Borsch: A novel phylogeny-based generic classification for Chenopodium sensu lato, and a tribal rearrangement of Chenopodioideae (Chenopodiaceae) . In: Willdenowia 42, 2012, p. 17. DOI: 10.3372 / wi.42.42101
  14. ↑ Entry in The Plant List
  15. ↑ a b c d e f J. Wheeler, The Botanist's and Gardener's New Dictionary. , Harvard University, 1763, p. 74
  16. ↑ a b c M.K., Strawberry Spinach , In: Vegetables No. 2, From: Kartofel 'i ovosci - Heft 6 2002, 2003, p. 41.
  17. ↑ a b c d e f G. Vogel, Vegetable Biographies (28) - Strawberry Spinach. , Taspo Horticultural Magazine December 12, 1994, p. 68
  18. ↑ C. and R. Zollinger, Saatgut Katalog 2009 , 2009, p. 44
  19. ^ H. Linser and K. Scharrer, Handbook of Plant Nutrition and Fertilization. , Ed. 1, Part 1, 1965, p. 160
  20. ↑ a b c B. Angier, Field guide to medicinal wild plants , Stackpole Books, 1978, ISBN 0-8117-2076-4 , pp. 250-252.
  21. ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, page 92 ( online ).

Web links

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