American calamus
| American calamus | ||||||||||||
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American sweet flag ( Acorus americanus ), illustration |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Acorus americanus | ||||||||||||
| ( Raf. ) Raf. |
The American sweet flag ( Acorus americanus ) is a swamp plant native to the United States and Canada .
description
This perennial herbaceous plant reaches stature heights of around 80 cm. The light green, sword-shaped foliage leaves arise directly from the rhizomes and lie in one another like a sheath at the base. Further, the leaves have two to six raised veins and a thickened center when viewed in cross section. The foliage has a citrus-like, tangy aroma and can be used to flavor beer.
It is a flowering plant with inconspicuous flowers that are arranged on an apparently lateral piston (a thickened, fleshy inflorescence axis). The fruits of this species have a jelly-like interior. The American sweet flag is classified as Endangered in Pennsylvania and is protected.
etymology
The name "Acorus" is derived from the Greek word akoron . Dioscurides used this derived from koreon (= pupil), because calamus was used in herbal medicine to treat inflammation of the eye .
The species name americanus simply indicates that this is an American species of the genus by the very similar European and West Asian species Acorus calamus , the common sweet flag should be distinguished.
Taxonomy
The American sweet flag was previously classified as Acorus calamus L. var. Americanus Raf., Acorus calamus var. Americanus (Raf.) H.Wulff. However, Acorus americanus is characterized by a diploid set of chromosomes (2n = 24), while Acorus calamus is a triploid, regionally sterile variety (2n = 36) that only spreads asexually in Central Europe.
use
This plant was used by Native Americans and early European settlers.
As a diploid species of the genus Acorus , it does not contain β- asarone . Asarone is a possible precursor in the synthesis of the psychedelic phenethylamine TMA-2 . This chemical is one of the reasons why calamus-derived products were banned as food additives in the United States.
Individual evidence
- ↑ NRCS: USDA Plants Profile: Acorus americanus
- ↑ Flora of North America: A. americanus
- ↑ Entry on calamus oil. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on May 29, 2015.