Enchylaena tomentosa
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Enchylaena tomentosa |
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Enchylaena tomentosa is a species of plant withinthe foxtail family (Amaranthaceae). It is widespread in large areas of Australia and is called Barrier Saltbush, Ruby Saltbush, Sturt Saltbush, Plum Puddings or Barry Cotton Bush there.
description
Vegetative characteristics
Enchylaena tomentosa grows as an evergreen , small subshrub and reaches heights of usually 0.1 to 0.6, rarely up to 2 meters. The prostrate to upright shoot axes are covered with short hair ( indument ) to bald. The outstretched branches are up to 1 meter long. The grayish leaves are hairy tomentose. The simple foliage leaves are linear with a length of 7 to 15 (6 to 20) millimeters, rounded in cross-section, so more or less pedunculate and succulent . The reduced leaf size and leaf succulence are adaptations to nutrient-poor soils , and the hair protects against overheating, which would damage the cells.
Generative characteristics
The flowering time in Australia is from spring to early summer and autumn. The flowers are solitary in the leaf axils. The hermaphroditic, relatively small and inconspicuous flowers are white. The flower tube is glabrous and the free areas of the bracts are glabrous or hairy; their edge is ciliated. The ovary contains only one ovule and ends in a sharp stylus with two thread-like scars.
After the anthesis , the bracts enlarge and envelop the fruit with a diameter of 5 to 8 millimeters as a flattened-spherical, small, conspicuous berry-like structure with a diameter of 5 to 8 millimeters; it has sunk deep in the center. The juicy, berry-like structure is initially green and turns yellow when ripe, then red or red-brown, and turns black as it dries. The fruits have no wings and end in a short beak. When the fruits are dry, they will fall off.
ecology
Enchylaena tomentosa is fruiting most of the year. The "fruits" are an important food source for wild birds and invertebrates . Parrots , honey-eaters (Meliphagidae) and pigeons (Columbidae) were observed eating the "fruits". There have been observations that spiders collect and transport the "fruit". The diaspores are apparently spread by animals, birds are attracted.
Enchylaena tomentosa is only eaten by grazing animals during drought .
Occurrence
Enchylaena tomentosa occurs in large areas of Australia . For example, it is a neophyte in New Caledonia and the Palestine region ; The starting point for the expansion are gardens and pastures.
This halophyte is common in semi-arid to arid areas. Enchylaena tomentosa thrives on a variety of poor soils : from the coast on partially stabilized dune sands near the Southern Ocean in South Australia , in salty and sand- carrying winds, to loamy- clayey river deposits , often in salt pans , or deep silicate , sandy ones Soils in many semi-arid areas of the Australian continent. Enchylaena tomentosa was in salt marsh - habitats covered by tropical than subtropical to temperate areas.
Taxonomy
The first publication of enchylaena tomentosa was made in 1810 by Robert Brown in Prodromus Novae Florae Hollandiae , S. 408. The epithet tomentosa means tomentose hairy. Synonyms for Enchylaena tomentosa R.Br. are: Enchylaena brevifolia Gand. , Enchylaena patens Gand. , Enchylaena pubescens Moq., Enchylaena paradoxa R.Br.
It is sometimes used after Wilson 1975 and as a suggestion in Cabrera et al. 2009 added to the genus Maireana .
use
Enchylaena tomentosa is used as an ornamental plant , especially in subtropical areas . The range of "fruit" colors and the long shelf life of the "fruits" are the greatest advantages for use as an ornamental plant. She copes well with dry weather. Enchylaena tomentosa survives light frosts of −6 ° C; it thrives in USDA Climate Zones 8-11. Enchylaena tomentosa has a wide tolerance in terms of climate , soil and topography . The most beautiful plant specimens develop in full sun. Propagation takes place via seeds or cuttings .
The relatively small, crunchy, succulent "fruits" of Enchylaena tomentosa are eaten; their taste is salty and sweet. The "fruits" can be soaked in water, and this liquid can be drunk like sweetened tea. The leaves of Enchylaena tomentosa are rich in oxalic acid , or oxalates , so they should only be eaten in small quantities. Oxalic acid can bind calcium ions in the body, which can lead to a calcium deficiency. The oxalic acid gives the dish a rhubarb taste . Cooking reduces the oxalic acid content. People with a tendency to rheumatism , arthritis , gout , kidney stones or hyperacidity should exercise particular caution if they want to include Enchylaena tomentosa in their diet. The Aborigines used the "fruits" as food. The early settlers of Australia used the cooked leaves as a vegetable.
Enchylaena tomentosa was used in folk medicine against scurvy .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Barrie Hadlow, 1986: Data sheet: Enchylaena tomentosa - Ruby Saltbush, Barrier Saltbush at Growing Native Plants of the Australian National Botanic Gardens and Center for Australian National Biodiversity Research , Canberra.
- ↑ Enchylaena tomentosa in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d e Victorian Resources Online .
- ↑ Enchylaena tomentosa R.Br. - Barrier Saltbush Datasheet from the Flora of Western Australia.
- ↑ a b c d e f Enchylaena tomentosa at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis.
- ↑ a b c data sheet at New South Wales Flora online .
- ↑ a b c d Enchylaena tomentosa R.Br. - Barrier Saltbush - Datasheet at The Atlas of Living Australia from Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
- ↑ a b The Urrbrae Wetland: Ruby Saltbush - Enchylaena-tomentosa - PDF.
- ^ Flora of Israel Online .
- ^ Robert Brown scanned in at biodiversitylibrary.org in 1810 .
- ↑ Enchylaena tomentosa at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed August 27, 2015.
- ↑ Entry at Australian Plant Name Index = APNI.
- ^ Paul G. Wilson: A taxonomic revision of the genus Maireana (Chenopodiaceae). In: Nuytsia , Volume 2, 1975, p. 8.
- ↑ Jonathan F. Cabrera, Surrey WL Jacobs, Gudrun Kadereit: Phylogeny of the Australian Camphorosmeae (Chenopodiaceae) and the taxonomic significance of the fruiting perianth. In: International Journal of Plant Sciences , Volume 170, Issue 4, 2009, pp. 505-521. doi : 10.1086 / 597267
- ↑ a b c Enchylaena tomentosa at Plants For A Future . Retrieved August 29, 2015.
Web links
- New South Wales Government: Paddock Plants : Ruby Saltbush - Enchylaena-tomentosa - PDF.
- Datasheet at Desert Tropicals .
- Data sheet at Pastures Australia .
further reading
- Lara Vanessa Jefferson: The biology and ecology of species of Maireana and Enchylaena: intra- and inter-specific competition in plant communities in the eastern goldfields of Western Australia. Ph. D. Thesis 2001 at Curtin University of Technology, School of Chemical and Biological Sciences. PDF.
- Frederick Turner: The forage plants of Australia (with illustrations) By F. Turner, botanist to the Department of Agriculture. 1852, p. 68 + illustration scanned at biodiversitylibrary.org .