English spoonbill

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English spoonbill
English spoonbill (Cochlearia anglica)

English spoonbill ( Cochlearia anglica )

Systematics
Eurosiden II
Order : Cruciferous (Brassicales)
Family : Cruciferous vegetables (Brassicaceae)
Tribe : Cochlearieae
Genre : Spoonweed ( Cochlearia )
Type : English spoonbill
Scientific name
Cochlearia anglica
L.

The English spoonbill ( Cochlearia anglica ) belongs to the cruciferous family (Brassicaceae). Like Danish spoonweed , it is one of the first plants to bloom in May in the harsh climate of the mud flats and salt marshes .

The common name Witten Hedderk is used for the Oldenburg region .

description

Vegetative characteristics

The annual plant reaches heights of 10 to 30 cm. The ascending to upright stem is angular and bare. It has fleshy, glossy leaves. The basal leaves of the plant are arranged in rosettes, long-stalked, ovate-rhombic and often serrated. The stem leaves are narrow-egg-shaped, mostly serrated, but occasionally almost entire , with a heart-shaped or arrow-shaped base and encompassing the stem .

English spoonbill flowers

Inflorescence, flowers and fruits

The English spoonbill flowers from May to July. The flowers are in a rich, racemose inflorescence . The white petals have a length of 5.5 to 6.5 mm. The fruit is an egg-shaped to spherical pod 8 to 16 mm in length.

Chromosome number

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 48.

ingredients

Mustard oil glycosides , bitter substances and, to a large extent, vitamin C are known ingredients of English spoonbill .

Occurrence

The English spoonwort occurs in the salt marshes of the North and Baltic Sea coasts, but also in the interior of Northern Europe. Their distribution area includes Spain, France, Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. In the Netherlands, on the one hand, the species is declining in the Zuiderzee area due to the construction of dams, and on the other hand, an increase in sites was recorded in the Wadden Sea. In Great Britain and France it is in some cases falling sharply, while in Germany only a few extinct occurrences are reported.

The species needs saline, silty or silty-sandy soil. It thrives in Central Europe in companies of the Puccinellion maritimae association.

ecology

The plants thrive in salt marshes with a salt content of 1.6–2.3%. The salt is collected in the leaves and excreted when the dried leaves are shed. It occurs in small groups, but also as a single specimen. The fertilization of the species, the flowers of which contain both male and female organs, takes place via self or insect pollination .

The species is light-loving and shows an extreme maritime climate . Their location suggests nitrogen-rich, very moist, salty and often flooded soil. The species spreads through animals ( Velcro spread ), through self- spread and wind spread .

use

The plant was previously used as a remedy for scurvy , to “cleanse the blood” or as a wound dressing for ulcers that did not heal well . Spoonweed contains a lot of vitamin C and was therefore salted in on sailing ships, where fresh vegetables were completely lacking, as protection against the vitamin deficiency disease scurvy. The seeds were collected from August to September and pressed into a medicinal fresh juice (spoonweed spirit).

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Oskar Sebald: Guide through nature. Wild plants of Central Europe. ADAC Verlag, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-87003-352-5 .
  2. ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, page 104. ( online ).
  3. ↑ Werner Rothmaler: Exkursionsflora von Deutschland, Gefäßpfl. Satin ribbon 3 ; Gustav Fischer Verl. Jena, 1995.
  4. ^ Cochlearia anglica at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
  5. ↑ Karol Marhold, 2011: Brassicaceae : Datasheet Cochlearia In: Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity.
  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.  452 .

Web links

Commons : English spoonweed ( Cochlearia anglica )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files