Bishop's herb

Bishop's herb
	Bishop's herb ( Ammi visnaga )
Systematics
	Euasterids II
Order :	Umbelliferae (Apiales)
Family :	Umbelliferae (Apiaceae)
Subfamily :	Apioideae
Genre :	Cartilage carrots ( Ammi )
Type :	Bishop's herb
Scientific name
	Ammi visnaga
	( L. ) Lam.

The bishop's herb ( Ammi visnaga ), also called toothpick cartilage carrot , is a plant species within the umbelliferae family (Apiaceae). It is widespread in Eurasia and North Africa. It is used as a medicinal plant.

description

illustration

Habit of a young specimen with basal leaves

Double-gold inflorescences

Fruit cluster

Vegetative characteristics

The bishop's herb grows as a one to two year old herbaceous plant and reaches stature heights of up to one meter. The lower leaves are singly pinnate, the others are two to three pinnate. The last-order leaf lobes are linear or thread-shaped.

Generative characteristics

In the double-gold inflorescence there are up to 150 umbellate rays with many flowers. The umbellate rays protrude towards the anthesis , later they straighten up, thicken and solidify. The one to two pinnate bracts are at least as long as the umbel rays. The bracts are thread-shaped.

The hermaphrodite flowers are five-fold with a double flower envelope . The calyx teeth are tiny. The five petals are white. The stylus is 0.6 to 1 millimeter long.

The fruits are 2 to 2.5 millimeters long.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 20.

distribution

Ammi visnaga is naturally widespread mainly in the Mediterranean , North Africa , the Caucasus, and Western Asia . There are localities for Spain , Portugal , Italy , Albania , Greece , Turkey , Syria , Cyprus , Iran , Iraq , Israel , Lebanon , Algeria , Libya , Morocco , Tunisia , Armenia , Azerbaijan and Georgia . For France , for the Azores and Canaries, the originality is doubtful. The species is a neophyte in Central and South America , on the Caribbean Islands, on the Indian subcontinent, Korea and Eastern and Central Europe .

Taxonomy

It was first published in 1753 under the name ( Basionym ) Daucus visnaga by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum , 1, p. 242. The new combination to Ammi visnaga (L.) Lam. was published in 1779 by Jean Baptiste de Monnet de Lamarck . The botanical generic name Ammi is perhaps derived from the Greek word ammos for sand and is the Egyptian word ammi for caraway. The specific epithet visnaga is part of the pre-Linen name of this plant species. Another synonym for Ammi visnaga (L.) Lam. is Visnaga daucoides Gaertn.

Usage and other common names

Ammi visnaga is grown in many areas of the world.

It is also called khella or khella herb; which is also widely used trivial name toothpick herb or Zahnstocherammei (only Ammei therefore) derived that the type in oriental countries for the production of toothpicks is used. Your spicy taste is welcome.

Medical importance

Habitus of Ammi visnaga in the old Botanical Garden in Göttingen

Ammi visnaga was already used as a medicinal plant by the ancient Egyptians , but later it was forgotten. The fruits of Ammi visnaga (Fructus Ammi visnagae) contain pharmacologically active ingredients such as phototoxic furanocoumarins (khellin), the heart-active glycoside khellinin , flavonoids and pyranocoumarins ( visnadin ).

Visnadin gives the plant extracts a positive effect through an expansion of the coronary arteries and the resulting better blood flow to the heart muscle. There is a positive inotropic and antispasmodic effect. Ammi visnaga is therefore suitable for the treatment of angina pectoris and colic .

Individual evidence

↑ Ammi visnaga (L.) Lam., Toothpick cartilage carrot. In: FloraWeb.de.
↑ ^a ^b ^c Thomas Gaskell Tutin : Ammi L. In: TG Tutin, VH Heywood, NA Burges, DM Moore, DH Valentine, SM Walters, DA Webb (ed.): Flora Europaea . Volume 2: Rosaceae to Umbelliferae . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1968, ISBN 0-521-06662-X , pp. 353 (English, limited preview in Google Book search).
↑ Data sheet from Flora Vascular with distribution on the Iberian Peninsula.
^ 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. 709 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Ammi visnaga in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
^ R. Hand (2011): Apiaceae. - In: Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Datasheet Ammi
↑ Günther Blaich: data sheet with photos.