Low billberry
| Low billberry | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lower shamrock ( Gaultheria procumbens ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Gaultheria procumbens | ||||||||||||
| L. |
The lower shamberry ( Gaultheria procumbens ), also called winter green or (red) carpet berry , is a species of the genus of shamberries ( Gaultheria ) in the heather family (Ericaceae).
features
The lower shamberry is an evergreen dwarf shrub that forms underground runners and reaches heights of up to 15 centimeters. The leaves have no spike tip and are more or less rounded at the front, obverse-shaped to elliptical, weakly serrate at the edge and often too few heaped at the end of the stem . They measure 20 to 50 × 10 to 30 millimeters. The flowers are hermaphrodite, single and axillary. The crown is white (to pink), pitcher-shaped and 5 to 10 millimeters long. The fruits are berry-like, red and have a diameter of 8 to 15 millimeters.
Flowering time is from July to August.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 22 or 44.
Distribution and location
The lower shamberry is found in forests in eastern North America . Its range extends north to the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador , south to the US states of Alabama , Georgia and South Carolina .
The soil should be acidic to slightly acidic and rich in humus, the location partially shaded or sunny if there is sufficient moisture. The lower shamberry is absolutely frost hardy and can withstand root pressure and competition from larger trees in equal measure . However, it is lime-fleeing and is sensitive to prolonged dry phases .
use
The lower shamberry is rarely used as a ground covering, fruiting ornamental plant in bog beds. In North America it is used as a tea plant, the fruits were used in cakes. It is a flavoring ingredient in root beer (leaves and fruits). The species has been in culture since 1762 at the latest.
The so-called Wintergreen Oil can be extracted from the leaves . The contained monotropitoside is converted into salicylic acid methyl ester by maceration in warm water and then isolated by steam distillation . The yield is around 0.5% to 0.8% with a methyl salicylate content of over 98%. The oil also contains small amounts of other components (alpha- pinene , myrcene , delta- 3-carene , limonene , 3,7- guaiadiene , delta-cadinene ).
The aroma of this oil is widely used in North America: chewing gum, sweets, other foods, toothpaste and aseptic mouthwash, for example, are often offered in this flavor, although synthetic methyl salicylate is often used today. The drug is also used in the processing of flavored snuff.
The Indians of North America used the lower pseudo-berries medicinally, for example to treat back pain, rheumatism, fever and headaches . Wintergreen Oil is still used today as a pain reliever , astringent and blood circulation- enhancing, as it is chemically close to aspirin ( acetylsalicylic acid ). Overdosing - one milliliter of the oil corresponds to up to 1.8 grams of acetylsalicylic acid - has already resulted in several deaths.
Individual evidence
- ↑ See entry at GRIN Taxonomy for Plants
- ↑ gartendatenbank.de
- ↑ Gaultheria procumbens at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ Khilendra Gurung 2007. Analysis of wintergreen oil, Ecology Agriculture and Rural Development Society, Dolakha, Nepal (English)
- ↑ a b c Drugs.com (English)
- ^ Ingrid Petres: Essential Oil Profile. ( Memento of March 9, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Wintergreen snuff (breakshop.ch)
- ↑ PN Johnson: Methyl salicylate / aspirin equivalence. In: Vet Hum Toxicol. Volume 26, 1985, pp. 317-318.
literature
- Eckehart J. Jäger, Friedrich Ebel, Peter Hanelt, Gerd K. Müller (eds.): Rothmaler excursion flora from Germany. Volume 5: Herbaceous ornamental and useful plants . Spectrum Academic Publishing House, Berlin Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-8274-0918-8 .
