Diptam

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Diptam
Dictamnus albus

Dictamnus albus

Systematics
Rosids
Eurosiden II
Order : Sapindales (Sapindales)
Family : Rhombus family (Rutaceae)
Genre : Diptam
Type : Diptam
Scientific name of the  genus
Dictamnus
L.
Scientific name of the  species
Dictamnus albus
L.

The diptame ( Dictamnus albus ), also called ashwort or burning bush , is the only species of the monotypic genus Dictamnus , it belongs to the diamond family (Rutaceae). This plant species has been under nature protection since 1936 ; even then it was a rarity in Central Europe.

description

Diptam is a perennial herbaceous plant with a creeping, whitish rhizome that reaches a stature height of 60 to 120 cm. The unbranched stem is upright. The leaves are unpinnate with 3 to 5 pairs of leaflets and have a lemon-like scent. The elongated egg-shaped pinnacles are up to 8 cm long.

The five-fold, slightly zygomorphic flowers are in clusters and measure 4 to 6 cm in diameter. The pink, rarely whitish petals have dark veins; the downward-pointing petal is slightly smaller than the other four, upward and sideways. The ten stamens are curved upwards.

The flowering period extends from May to June, the fruit ripens in midsummer. The fruit is a capsule. With a lot of warm wind the fruits dry up. The fruit peels tear open, roll up and hurl the spherical, about 4 mm small seeds out. Since the diptame usually grows clonally in groups, you can sometimes hear the fruit popping together in summer. The seeds can be thrown up to about five meters away.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 36 or 72.

Distribution and locations

The diptame is native to large parts of Asia, parts of Europe (especially south-east Europe ) and North Africa. It grows preferentially in the clearings of warmth-loving dry forests and bushes , but especially on the edge of the forest in the transition to dry grass . Dry, chalky and low-nitrogen soils in a partially shaded location are favorable. In Central Europe, the diptame is a character species of the Geranio-Dictamnetum from the association of the Geranion sanguinei, but also occurs in societies of the order Quercetalia pubescentis.

Pointer values ​​according to Ellenberg

factor value scale Designation / explanation
Light number 7th 1-9 Semi-light plant
Temperature number 8th 1-9 Heat pointer to extreme heat pointer
Continental number 4th 1-9 subocean
Humidity number 2 1-12 Dry to strong dry pointer
Response number 8th 1-9 Weak acid / weak base to base and lime pointers
Nitrogen number 2 1-9 low to low nitrogen locations
Life form hp, H - Semi-parasite, hemicryptophyte

In Austria, the diptame occurs only in the Pannonian region in the federal states of Burgenland , Vienna and Lower Austria, scattered or rarely, and is considered endangered.

In Germany, the diptame is considered "endangered" nationwide as well as at the state level in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt, in Hesse as "critically endangered" and in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony / Bremen as "extinct". According to the Federal Species Protection Ordinance, it is "particularly protected". Collecting plants or parts of plants is prohibited.

  • Botanical illustration, 1888

  • Diptame in the growth phase

  • Diptame with flowers

  • inflorescence

  • blossom

  • Young infructescence

  • fruit

Essential oils

At the time of ripening, the glands of the fruit bunches release so much essential oil that the plant can be smelled from afar. The scent of the diptam can be mimicked by mixing vanilla and lemon aromas.

Phototoxic reaction of the skin a few days after contact with Diptam

ingredients

The plant contains skin-irritating furanocoumarins such as bergapten , xanthotoxin and psoralen as well as furoquinoline alkaloids dissolved in essential oils ; Thymol methyl ether, pinene , anethole , estragole , myrcene , limonene , cineal, alkaloids such as skimmianin and dictamine , as well as saponins , bitter substances , anthocyanins and flavone glycosides .

The furanocoumarins (mainly bergapten) contained primarily in the glandular bristles are phototoxic substances that sensitize the skin to sunlight when they come into contact with the skin and can lead to severe, often protracted burn-like injuries ( meadow grass dermatitis ) when exposed to the sun .

Flammability

The essential oils contain the extremely volatile and highly flammable liquid isoprene , the vapors of which are heavier than air. During the ripening period, the released isoprene vapors can be ignited on windless days by an ignition source below the flower panicle, whereupon the fire front quickly runs up the flower panicle and then goes out. The plant is not damaged.

The vapors can also self-ignite on extremely hot days. This is explained by the magnifying glass effect when droplets form. At dusk you can see small blue flames on the plant when there is no wind and great heat.

The assumption that the “burning bush” in the Bible could have been a diptame is inconclusive, as this type of plant has no thorns or thorns .

Taxonomy and Etymology

The diptame was first published in 1753 by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum . An important synonym is Dictamnus fraxinella Pers.

The generic name Dictamnus was transferred in the Middle Ages from the Diptam-Dost or Cretan Diktam ( Origanum dictamnus ), which belongs to the mint family of plants , against the background of the strong aromatic scent of both plants and the medicinal properties considered to be comparable to the (white) Diptam.

The scientific species name albus ("white") refers to the whitish, creeping rhizomes.

Systematics

Some authors differentiate several species in the genus Dictamnus and not just one species Dictamnus albus . These other types then include:

use

Garden plant

Since the diptame was regarded as a medicinal plant in ancient times and is decorative when in bloom, it was cultivated in the garden very early on. It was already a common garden plant during the Renaissance. Today it is rarely found in gardens, which is due to its specific location requirements and its toxicity.

Medicinal plant

The diptame is no longer used as a medicinal plant because of its partially toxic ingredients, especially since no evidence has been found for the previously described effectiveness.

Common names

Other common names exist or existed for the diptame, including:

In Middle High German and Middle Low German , there were numerous other names and name variants.

swell

literature

  • Lutz Roth, Max Daunderer, Kurt Kormann: Poisonous plants plant poisons. 6th revised edition. Nikol-Verlag, 2012, ISBN 978-3-86820-009-6 , pp. 271-272, p. 1060.
  • Anneliese Ott: skin and plants. Allergies, phototoxic reactions and other harmful effects. Fischer, Stuttgart 1991, ISBN 3-437-00634-7 , p. 79 above: Photo of a white flowering plant and p. 82.
  • Dietmar Aichele: What is blooming there? Wild flowering plants of Central Europe ( Kosmos nature guide ). 49th edition. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-440-05615-5 , p. 264.
  • Peter Schönfelder , Ingrid Schönfelder: The Kosmos medicinal plants guide. European medicinal and poisonous plants. With additional chapter: Use medicinal plants (= Kosmos natural guide ). 4th edition. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-440-05854-9 , pp. 18, 170.
  • Manfred A. Fischer, Karl Oswald, Wolfgang Adler: Excursion flora for Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol . 3rd, improved edition. State of Upper Austria, Biology Center of the Upper Austrian State Museums, Linz 2008, ISBN 978-3-85474-187-9 .
  • Ruprecht Düll , Herfried Kutzelnigg : Pocket dictionary of plants in Germany and neighboring countries. The most common Central European species in portrait . 7th, corrected and enlarged edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1 .
  • Ingrid Schönfelder, Peter Schönfelder : The new book of medicinal plants. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-440-12932-6 .
  • Dietmar Aichele, Heinz-Werner Schwegler: The flowering plants of Central Europe. 2nd revised edition. Volume 3, Franckh-Kosmos, 1994, 2000, ISBN 3-440-08048-X .
  • Oskar Sebald, Siegmund Seybold, Georg Philippi (Hrsg.): The fern and flowering plants of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 4: Special part (Spermatophyta, subclass Rosidae): Haloragaceae to Apiaceae. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-8001-3315-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Diptame. In: FloraWeb.de.
  2. ↑ a b Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . 8th edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 . Page 644.
  3. ↑ Alexander Fleisher: Study of Dictamnus gymnostylis. Volatiles and Plausible Explanation of the "Burning Bush" Phenomenon . In: Journal of Essential Oil Research . tape 16 , 1 (Jan / Feb), 2004, ISSN  1041-2905 , pp. 1–3 , doi : 10.1080 / 10412905.2004.9698634 (English).
  4. ↑ Carl von Linné: Species Plantarum. Volume 1, Impensis Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae 1753, p. 383, digitizedhttp: //vorlage_digitalisat.test/1%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.biodiversitylibrary.org%2Fopenurl%3Fpid%3Dtitle%3A669%26volume%3D1%26issue%3D%26spage%3D383%26date%3D1753~GB%3D~ IA% 3D ~ MDZ% 3D% 0A ~ SZ% 3D ~ double-sided% 3D ~ LT% 3D ~ PUR% 3D
  5. ↑ Helmut Genaust: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. 3rd, completely revised and expanded edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-937872-16-7 , p. 207 (reprint from 1996).
  6. ↑ a b c d E. von Raab-Straube (2018): Rutaceae. - In: Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Datasheet Dictamnus
  7. ↑ Cf. Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hanover 1882, page 134 f. ( online ).

Web links

Commons : Diptam ( Dictamnus albus )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files