Tigernuts

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Tigernuts
Tigernut (Cyperus esculentus) with a thickened brown subterranean runners

Tigernut ( Cyperus esculentus ) with a thickened brown subterranean runners

Systematics
Commelinids
Order : Sweet grass (Poales)
Family : Sourgrass family (Cyperaceae)
Subfamily : Cyperoideae
Genre : Sedge grass ( Cyperus )
Type : Tigernuts
Scientific name
Cyperus esculentus
L.

The yellow nutsedge ( Cyperus esculentus ), also known as Tiger nut is known, a plant of the genus Cyperus ( Cyperus ) in the family of Cyperaceae (Cyperaceae). It is native to the tropics and subtropics as far as North America. The term peanut is also documented as a historical German-speaking common name .

Appearance

The tiger nut is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches heights of up to 60 cm (rarely up to 100 cm). It forms long, underground runners ( stolons ) with bulbous thickenings that have a diameter of up to 15 mm. The upright stems are triangular and have a white stripe. The light green, V-shaped, parallel-veined, simple leaves are 5 to 10 mm wide.

The inflorescence contains numerous long, foliage -like bracts and ears up to 10 cm long . These have rounded, yellowish-brown husks on the back with clear nerves. The flowers are white. The flowering period extends from July to September.

Chromosome number

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 108, 208 or approx. 96.

use

Dried Tigernuts in the Banfora Market , Burkina Faso
Tigernut ( Cyperus esculentus ), inflorescence

The brown, round, pea-sized, oil-rich tubers (the thickenings of the stolons ) are edible and are traded in Southern Europe and West Africa. The tubers are known in France as Amandes de terre , in Spain as Chufa [ 'tʃufa ]. The taste of the tubers is reminiscent of hazelnuts or almonds .

Tigernuts were introduced to Spain by the Arabs in the 8th century . In the Valencia region , tiger nuts are grown in the Huerta Norte district . There, the drink Horchata de Chufa (tiger nut milk) is made from the tiger nuts . Tigernut flakes are used when the intestine is sluggish or as a reduction diet, as the feeling of hunger is suppressed by the fiber.

In the Valencia region, tiger nuts are planted on loamy-sandy soils in March and April from a minimum soil temperature of 12 ° C. The sedge plant needs a mild Mediterranean climate between 13 and 25 ° C and plenty of irrigation . The tubers are harvested from October to December and dried in special chambers.

Cyperus esculentus is a hyperaccumulator of heavy metals - especially cadmium and lead - and is therefore used in the phytoremediation of polluted soils. Such soils include debris heaps from zinc and copper mining (Thailand) and river banks and seepage areas (India, Bangladesh) polluted by the wastewater from tanning and dyeing works.

The tiger nut is also a popular bait when fishing for carp.

Ingredients of tiger nuts

Tigernuts consist of more than 25% fat , about 30% starch and 7% protein . They contain a lot of unsaturated fatty acids like linoleic acid , vitamin H and rutin as well as many minerals .

Distribution area and reproduction

Tigernuts thrive in low-lime, weakly acidic, base-rich, moderately fresh to fresh clay soils, especially in root crops, more rarely in stalk crops, and also in corn fields. It grows in Central Europe in maize fields in the plant communities of the Digitario-Setarienion sub-association, but also in the Aphano-Matricarietum and Chenopodio-Oxalidetum fontanae.

The vegetative propagation is likely to take place mainly via rhizome fragments.

In contrast to the rhizomes and tubers of the usual root weeds, the tubers of the tiger nuts remain capable of sprouting for years after drying. This favors dissemination via agricultural equipment. Field mice , which they drag into their burrows as winter supplies, are used to spread it further . The tubers are not frost hardy, but because they are at a depth of 10–30 cm, they only die in severe permafrost.

The tiger nut as a neophyte

Tiger nuts are in many regions of the aggressive neophytes , the indigenous displace plant species. Some authors therefore consider them to be among the worst weeds in the world. The now problematic occurrences hemerochor were probably unintentionally carried along with gladiolus bulbs. It is one of the speirochor- carried plants.

Situation in individual countries

In Germany , the tiger nut has become naturalized in the Upper Rhine area and in the Alpine foothills. It is questionable whether mature seeds are produced in Germany at all . The plant can also survive cold winters in Germany. It was first observed in 1976 in the Kinzig valley; perhaps it was brought in by construction machinery that had previously been used in northern Italy .

In Switzerland, the plant was included in the black list of invasive neophytes due to its spreading potential and the damage in the areas of biodiversity , health and economy .

In the Netherlands , problematic mass occurrences of field weeds have developed from this since 1970. There have been specific control programs there since 1984.

literature

  • Ingo Kowarik: Biological Invasions. Neophytes and Neozoa in Central Europe. Ulmer, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-8001-3924-3
  • Bobby L. Folsom Jr. & Charles R. Lee: Zinc and cadmium uptake by the freshwater marsh plant Cyperus esculentus grown in contaminated sediments under reduced (flooded) and oxidized (upland) disposal conditions. In: Journal of Plant Nutrition. Volume 3, Issue 1-4, 1981, doi: 10.1080 / 01904168109362832 , pp. 233-244
  • Oskar Sebald, Siegmund Seybold, Georg Philippi, Arno Wörz (eds.): The fern and flowering plants of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 8: Special part (Spermatophyta, subclasses Commelinidae part 2, Arecidae, Liliidae part 2): Juncaceae to Orchidaceae. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3359-8 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Cyperus esculentus. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  2. ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, p. 125 ( online ).
  3. ^ Tropicos. [1]
  4. ↑ Jeanne Dericks-Tan & Gabriele Vollbrecht: On the trail of wild fruits in Europe. Significance and utilization from the past to the present. Abadi-Verlag, Alzenau 2009, ISBN 978-3-00-021129-4 , p. 281.
  5. ↑ Hartmuth Geck: The 4 best carp baits.Retrieved October 15, 2019
  6. ^ 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.  157 .
  7. ^ Federal Office for the Environment FOEN: Invasive Alien Species . ( admin.ch [accessed on August 6, 2019]).
  8. ↑ S. Buholzer, M. Nobis, N. Schoenenberger, S. Rometsch: List of the alien invasive plants of Switzerland . Ed .: Infoflora. ( infoflora.ch [accessed on August 6, 2019]).

Web links

Commons : Tigernuts  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Distribution map for Germany or Switzerland

Photos: