Cornus oblonga

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Cornus oblonga
Systematics
Nuclear eudicotyledons
Asterids
Order : Dogwood-like (Cornales)
Family : Dogwood family (Cornaceae)
Genre : Dogwood ( Cornus )
Type : Cornus oblonga
Scientific name
Cornus oblonga
Wall.

Cornus oblonga is a plant from the genus of dogwood ( Cornus ) within the family of Dogwood (Cornaceae). Its distribution area is on the southern edge of the Himalayas , from Pakistan in the west to central China and Vietnam in the east. The Chinese name is 长 圆 叶 梾 木 (chang yuan ye lai mu), in Pakistan the tree is called “Ban Kukur”.

description

Cornus oblonga is a small, evergreen tree or shrub that can reach heights of growth of up to 16 meters; in some places it remains bush-shaped and only reaches heights of two to four meters. The young twigs are square and, depending on the variety, smooth or covered with hair. A gray-brown smooth bark develops on older twigs and trunks .

The leathery, evergreen, stalked leaves are arranged opposite each other on the branch. The shape is narrowly elliptical with an elongated leaf tip, they are six to 13 centimeters long and two to four centimeters wide. The top is glossy dark green, the underside smooth or hairy, depending on the variety. The leaf veins, four or five pairs per leaf, are bent towards the tip of the leaf and protrude from the underside of the leaf.

The terminal inflorescences are hairy and have a multitude of flowers . The white flowers are about one centimeter in diameter. They are composed of four overgrown sepals , four narrow petals , four stamens and the ovary below . Unlike many other dogwoods, the ovary contains not just two, but three or four carpels . The flowering period extends roughly from September to January.

The oval stone fruits , which ripen in April to June, turn red to black. They contain two to four seeds.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 22.

distribution

The home of this tree is on the southern edge of the Himalayas at altitudes between 800 and 3700 meters. The distribution area extends in a west-east direction from Pakistan via India , Bhutan , Nepal , Myanmar and Thailand to central China and Vietnam . Cornus oblonga grows there in the undergrowth and clearings of evergreen deciduous forests.

Cornus oblonga cannot be seen in Central Europe because the species freezes to death in cold winters.

Taxonomy

Cornus oblonga was described by Nathaniel Wallich in William Roxburgh's Flora Indica in 1820 . Although it looks similar to other Asian dogwoods, the most closely related species is the South American Cornus peruviana , with which it forms the subgenus Yinquania .

Different varieties have been distinguished on the basis of the different hairs on the underside of the leaves and branches:

  • Cornus oblonga var. Glabrescens W.P.Fang & WKHu - without hair; limited distribution in southwest China
  • Cornus oblonga var. Griffithii C.B. Clarke - with long, soft hair; Distribution in India, Bhutan and China
  • Cornus oblonga Wall. var. oblonga - with short, gray and coarse hair

use

The fruits are used medicinally as a substitute for the Asiatic cornel ( Cornus officinalis ), the bark is also used in traditional medicine.

Oil can be obtained from the fruits.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ S. Ghazanfar: Cornaceae . Flora of Pakistan. Vol. 88 Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis 2001.
  2. ↑ Cornus oblonga at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
  3. ^ N. Wallich, in: W. Roxburgh: Flora Indica, or descriptions of Indian Plants . Serampore 1.1820, 432-433.
  4. ↑ Q.-Y. Xiang, DT Thomas, W. Zhang, SR Manchester, Z. Murrell: Species level phylogeny of the Dogwood genus Cornus (Cornaceae) based on molecular and morphological evidence . In: TAXON. Vienna 55, 2006, 9-30. ISSN  0040-0262

literature

  • Q.-Y. Xiang, DE Boufford: Cornus oblonga . In: Wu, ZY, Raven, PH (Ed.): Flora of China . Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis 14.2005, 206ff.
  • P. Capiello, D. Shadow (2005): Dogwoods . P. 60. Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-679-5

Web links