Dyer's gorse
Dyer's gorse | ||||||||||||
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![]() Dyer's gorse ( Genista tinctoria ) |
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Genista tinctoria | ||||||||||||
L. |
The Dyer's broom ( Genista tinctoria ) is a plant species within the family of legumes (Fabaceae). This medicinal and dye plant was particularly important in the past as a supplier of a yellow dye.
The characteristics listed below apply in particular to the more common subspecies Genista tinctoria subsp. tinctoria , the common dyer's gorse .
description
Overall, this species is very variable.
Vegetative characteristics
The dyer's gorse grows as an upright or ascending and bushy, branched subshrub that reaches heights of 20 to 60 centimeters. The strong taproot has a length of up to 1 meter. The deeply furrowed branches have a green, hairy or bare bark and are always thornless.
The alternate leaves are evergreen . The simple and entire leaf blade is lanceolate to elliptical with a length of about 45 (50) millimeters and a width of about 10 millimeters. Those with short stipules are linear-sub-like.
Generative characteristics
The flowering period extends from May to August. Many flowers stand together in terminal, 3 to 6 centimeters long, racemose inflorescences . The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and five-fold with a double flower envelope . The calyx is bald to hairy. The 8 to 16 millimeter long, yellow crown is bare.
The legumes are bare. Fruit ripening is from August to September.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 48 or 96.
ecology
The dyer's gorse is a chamaephyte and a subshrub , which means the lower, woody part of the stem bears the renewal buds and survives the winter.
Root nodules with symbiotic, nitrogen-binding nodule bacteria are present. The dyer's gorse has roots up to a meter deep.
In terms of flower biology, it is nectarless "butterfly flowers with a quick mechanism". The pollination is done by bees , Fly , butterflies and beetles . Also, self-pollination is successful.
The legumes , which are black during the ripening period, heat up relatively quickly and jump up when dry, so they are dehydration spreaders.
toxicology
The dyer's gorse is poisonous in all parts of the plant. The main active ingredients are: about 0.3% alkaloids such as anagyrin , cytisine , N -methylcitisin , lupanine , sparteine and isosparteine .
The symptoms of poisoning correspond to those of the broom ( Cytisus scoparius ).
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/GenistaTinctoria.jpg/220px-GenistaTinctoria.jpg)
Occurrence
The dyer's gorse occurs in most of Europe . However, it is absent in Ireland, Scandinavia, as well as most of the Iberian Peninsula and Greece. In the east the area extends to the Urals. It is almost entirely absent in the Alps . In Austria it is absent in Vorarlberg, in Tyrol it is extinct. It occurs all over Germany and also in Switzerland .
The dyer's gorse grows on dry meadows, heaths and in light oak and pine forests and dry forests. It rises from the lowlands to altitudes of around 1800 meters. It shows basic moisture and grows on limestone and primary rock, but prefers lime-poor, loamy soils . It occurs in Central Europe in plant communities of the order Molinietalia, the classes Nardo-Callunetea and Trifolio-Geranietea, the sub-group Genisto-Quercenion and in mesobrometes.
Systematics
The first publication of Genista tinctoria was in 1753 by Carl von Linné .
Depending on the author, Genista tinctoria distinguishes between several subspecies or varieties:
- The subspecies coastal dyer's broom ( Genista tinctoria L. subsp. Littoralis (Corb.) Rothm. ) Occurs in Germany only in the damp heaths of the North Sea coast and the North Sea islands. In Schleswig-Holstein it is considered endangered. This subspecies only reaches a height of around 20 centimeters and the legumes are hairy.
- Genista tinctoria var. Ovata (Waldst. & Kit.) FWSchultz (Syn .: Genista ovata Waldst. & Kit. ): It is native to the eastern Mediterranean region and has the chromosome number 2n = 48.
- Genista tinctoria var. Tinctoria (Syn .: Genista anxantica . Griseb , Genista multibracteata exchange , Genista tinctoria var. Virgata W.DJKoch ): it is in Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, in many regions of Russia, Ukraine widespread in northwestern Iran, northern Turkey, and western Kazakhstan.
use
The Romans used the dyer's gorse to dye linen and wool . He also played an important role in England. Twigs, leaves and flowers are used as a source of color. They contain the yellow coloring agents genistein and luteolin . The harvest usually takes place before flowering. The color is lightfast . The dyeing is done on pre-stained wool. The wool becomes lemon yellow through staining with alum , dark brown through aftertreatment with iron (II) sulphate and olive green with copper sulphate . By over-coloring of woad to put the in England "Kendalgrün" ago. The paint "Schüttgelb" was made by mixing with alum and whiting chalk .
Use as a medicinal plant
The dried branches harvested at the time of flowering are used as a medicinal drug .
The following are named as active ingredients: quinolizidine alkaloids such as cytisine , methylcytisine , anagyrine ; Flavonoids ; Isoflavones such as genistein ; Small amounts of tannins and essential oils .
The dyer's gorse acts as a diuretic and is therefore used to support the treatment of diseases in which an increased amount of urine is desired, such as kidney gravel or to prevent urinary stones. The content of genistein, a phytoestrogen that binds to the estrogen receptor of breast cancer cells, has made this plant species interesting again in recent times: a possible preventive effect of isoflavone in the development of breast cancer is being discussed; also about the potentially protective properties in the development of osteoporosis .
In homeopathy , headaches, indigestion and skin rashes are among the areas of application of the dyer's gorse.
Common names
The other common German-language names exist or existed for the dyer's gorse : Dyer's herb ( Bavaria ), color flowers, color herb ( Bern ), Frauenschüchel, Galeise ( East Prussia ), Galleisen, Geel color flowers, Gehlfarrblom ( Mecklenburg ), Genist ( Thuringia ), Genster ( Thuringia), Gilbblum, Gilbe ( Eichstätt , Tyrol near Lienz ), Gilbkrut (Mecklenburg), Gillkrut (Eichstätt), Gilve, Gorse, Gölleisen, Glösen (Mecklenburg, Pomerania ), Grintsche, Grünholz ( Silesia ), Grünling ( Saxony ), Heidenschmuck ( Württemberg ), Holheide (Silesia), Maiden War, Pentecost Flowers, Rohrheide (Silesia), Schachkraut (Silesia) and Witschen (Silesia). Other common names are: Brandblume, Eierplatzeln, Färberkraut, Gilbkraut, Gillblumen, Gilve, Hasenheide, Heidenschmuck, Hohlheide, Jonist, Streichblume, Devil's Broom and Wild Gorse.
Sources and further information
literature
- Manfred A. Fischer, Wolfgang Adler, Karl Oswald: Excursion flora for Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol . 2nd, improved and enlarged edition. State of Upper Austria, Biology Center of the Upper Austrian State Museums, Linz 2005, ISBN 3-85474-140-5 .
- Peter Schütt , Hans Joachim Schuck, Bernd Stimm (eds.): Lexicon of tree and shrub species. The standard work of forest botany. Morphology, pathology, ecology and systematics of important tree and shrub species . Nikol, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-933203-53-8 (reprint from 1992).
- Siegmund Seybold (Ed.): Schmeil-Fitschen interactive . CD-ROM, version 1.1. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2002, ISBN 3-494-01327-6 .
- 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 . (Section ecology)
- Ingrid and Peter Schönfelder : The new manual of medicinal plants , Franckh-Kosmos Verlagsgesellschaft, 2011, ISBN 3-440-09387-5 .
- Lutz Roth, Max Daunderer , Kurt Kormann: Poison Plants - Plant Poisons. Occurrence, effect, therapy, allergic and phototoxic reactions. With a special section about poisonous animals. 6th, revised edition, special edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-86820-009-6 .
- Thomas Schöpke, 2006: Färberginsterkraut - Genistae herba - data sheet at medizinalpflanze.de . (Sections Description and Common Names)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas. 8th edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , p. 583.
- ^ A b c Genista tinctoria in Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ Botanical Museum Hamburg
- ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, page 128. ( online ).
Web links
- Dyer's gorse . In: BiolFlor, the database of biological-ecological characteristics of the flora of Germany.
- Genista tinctoria L., dyer's gorse. In: FloraWeb.de.
- Genista tinctoria subsp. littoralis (Corb.) Rothm., coastal dyer's gorse. In: FloraWeb.de.
- Profile and distribution map for Bavaria . In: Botanical Information Hub of Bavaria .
- Genista tinctoria L. In: Info Flora , the national data and information center for Swiss flora . Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- Distribution in the Netherlands. (Dutch)
- Distribution in the northern hemisphere according to Eric Hultén
- Thomas Meyer: Data sheet with identification key and photos at Flora-de: Flora von Deutschland (old name of the website: Flowers in Swabia ).
- Mrs. M. Grieve: A Modern Herbal , 1931: at botanical.com .