Honduran bindweed
| Honduran bindweed | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Smilax Regelii | ||||||||||||
| Killip & CVMorton |
The Honduran winds ( Smilax Regelii ) is a species of the winds ( Smilax ) within the family of the winds (Smilacaceae). It thrives mainly in Central America and is one of the Smilax species from whose roots "Sarsaparilla" is obtained. However, Sarsaparilla is also found in species other than Smilax spp. won.
description
Vegetative characteristics
The Honduran bindweed is a bald climber with spiky stems up to 15 meters long . The stems are square and have strong, sharp spines. They climb with the help of tendrils that appear on the petioles. The Honduran bindweed grows in sunny or partially shaded terrain and is compatible with different types of soil. The underground root network is an extensive network of rhizomes and branching roots that can be more than 2 meters long.
The simple and alternate, stalked, bare, more or less leathery leaves are mostly ovate to lanceolate and up to 30 cm long, but mostly only about half as long. The stems are winged spiky ( leaf sheath ). The leaves are entire and pointed to pointed and at the base more or less arrow-shaped to heart-shaped or rounded to truncated. The nerve is palmate with 5 to 9 main arteries.
Generative characteristics
The plant is dioecious, dioecious and difficult to cultivate. The unisexual, small flowers with a simple flower cover are six-petalled, greenish-white and stand in axillary and long-stemmed umbels with a scaly cover. The tepals are covered. The female flowers few Staminodien and a top constant coming ovary with three almost seated scars before. The male flowers have 6 short stamens .
The plants form small, 1–1.5 cm large, round to egg-shaped berries . The berries are initially green, but turn dark red to almost black as they ripen and form a single seed.
Synonyms
Synonyms are Smilax ornata Lem., Smilax grandifolia rule nom. illeg., Smilax utilis Hemsl. , Smilax utilis Hemsl. nom. illegal. non CHWright, Smilax officinales auct., Smilax saluberrima Gilg. , Smilax ornata Hook.f.
Common names are Honduras sarsaparilla, Sarsaparilla, Sarsaparilla, Brown sarsaparilla, Honduran sarsaparilla, Zarzaparilla and Zarza and Jamaica sarsaparilla.
distribution
From Honduras to Belize as well as Guatemala and southern Mexico, the plants thrive up to a height of 1500 meters.
In Mexico, the plant is found mainly in the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca . The plant is also native to Nicaragua . Today the plant is mainly grown in its natural environment in Central America and the Caribbean .
The Honduran bindweed cannot thrive in areas where the warmest month's average low falls below 19 ° C.
Cultivation
Honduran bindweed can be grown from seeds, cuttings, or root saplings. In practice, it has become established to take cuttings or root saplings only from male plants in order to prevent the seeds from spreading outside the growing area in order to avoid a weed problem.
Honduran gnaws thrive best on well-fertilized, well-drained clay and sandy soils with a moderately acidic to neutral pH (5-7) and in partially shaded locations. The plants tolerate only marginally drought due to their shallow root system.
history
Originally, the plant was used as a spice and medicine by the indigenous people of the region. In order to harvest the roots, the surface of the earth is removed and parts of the root network on the rhizome are cut off. This procedure ensures that the plant continues to grow and can serve as a useful plant. After the harvest, the roots are cleaned, dried and bundled together for storage or transport for processing.
An extract is made by grinding and boiling the dried root tubers in water or alcohol. Good quality sarsaparilla is bitterly sweet and has a sticky consistency. It has foaming properties due to its high saponin content. Large quantities of dried roots were exported to the United States for use in root beer during the 1950s and 1960s .
Use and ingredients
Today the root extract is used to flavor soft drinks, confectionery, baked goods, ice cream and chilled milk desserts.
The tubers are also used medicinally.
The Honduran bindweed is grown commercially in the countries in which it is distributed. The tubers are mainly offered and used in local markets.
It is one of the three Central American plants known in the 17th century as the "all-rounder". The other two varieties, Smilax aristolochiifolia and Smilax febrifuga, were also known for their medicinal and culinary benefits. They were imported into Europe until the early 20th century.
literature
- PC Standley , JA Styria : Flora of Guatemala. Fieldiana, Vol. 24, Part III, 1952, pp. 93-98, online at biodiversitylibrary.org.
- Lilian Ferrufino: Taxonomic revision of the genus Smilax (Smilacaceae) in Central America and the Caribbean Islands. In: Willdenowia. 40 (2), 2010, 227-280, doi: 10.3372 / wi.40.40208 , online at researchgate.net.
- JC Th. Uphof: Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- A. Huxley: The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992, Mac Millan Press, 1992, ISBN 0-333-47494-5 .
- D. Brown: Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Darling Kindersley, London, 1995, ISBN 0-7894-0184-3 .
- A. Stewart: The drunken botanist: the plants that create the world's great drinks. Algonquin Books, 2013, ISBN 978-1-61620-046-6 .
- JF Morton : Atlas of medicinal plants of Middle America Bahamas to Yucatan. Springfield, Illinois, 1981, ISBN 0-398-04036-2 .
- R. Hansel, K. Keller, H. Rimpler, G. Schneider (Eds.): Hagers Handbook of Pharmaceutical Practice. 5th edition, Drugs: P-Z , Volume II, Springer, 1994, ISBN 978-3-642-63390-4 (Reprint), pp. 731-734.
Web links
- Smilax Regelii at Useful Tropical Plants.
Individual evidence
- ^ PN Ravindran: The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Spices. Vol. 1, CABI, 2017, ISBN 978-1-78639-114-8 , p. 861 ff.
- ↑ Ernest Small: Top 100 Exotic Food Plants. CRC Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1-4398-5686-4 , pp. 525-529.