Proboscidea althaeifolia

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Proboscidea althaeifolia
Proboscidea althaeifolia, flower on the left, half-ripe fruits on the right

Proboscidea althaeifolia , flower on the left, half-ripe fruits on the right

Systematics
Asterids
Euasterids I
Order : Mint family (Lamiales)
Family : Chamois horn family (Martyniaceae)
Genre : Proboscidea
Type : Proboscidea althaeifolia
Scientific name
Proboscidea althaeifolia
( Benth. ) Decne.

Proboscidea althaeifolia ( Syn. Martynia althaeifolia ) is a species from the New World family of chamois horns ( Martyniaceae ). It is one of the currently seven recognized species of the genus Proboscidea and is sometimes also called "Devil's Claw" in German-speaking countries.

Vegetative characteristics

Habitus

Proboscidea althaeifolia lives as a perennial , herbaceous plant, it springs from a turnip-like taproot that sits deep in the earth, and thus enables the plant to survive even extreme drought. The plant forms one to several shoots that expand in all directions and grow semi-upright to creeping. Since the plant thrives on semi-moist sand dunes, it is not infrequently contaminated by the sand.

leaves

The mostly opposite leaves are long-stalked and reach about 3–7 cm in diameter. They are broadly egg-shaped to rounded or heart-shaped to kidney-shaped and more or less lobed. The tip is rounded, the edges are whole. Both the stems, the stems and the undersides of the leaves are covered with tiny, slightly sticky glandular hairs.

blossoms

The fragrant and stalked flowers are slender, bell-shaped, five-fold and appear quite numerous (up to 16) on the stalked inflorescences . There are bracts available. The flowers are two-lipped and bright yellow to yellow-orange, reddish and have sap marks , spots or stripes in the throat and on the lobes. The sepals are fused together near the lower half. There are pre-sheets below this. The flowering period is in midsummer and extends from May to August.

Fruits and seeds

The fruits appear with the beginning of autumn. They are elongated and long beaked . The woody capsules with a body about 5–6 cm long, have one or two combs and are about 1 cm thick and end in two to three long "horns" as they ripen. There may be small protrusions between the horns. When dry, these extensions are used to hook the fruit in the foot hair or on the hooves of various animals, or on the footwear of careless hikers. They can be transported away as trample. The seeds are wrinkled, blackish and about 6–7 mm long.

distribution

Proboscidea althaeifolia is common in almost all of the desert areas of the southern United States , particularly common in California , Arizona , New Mexico, and Texas . It occurs up to the north coast of Mexico , in parts of Peru it is naturalized.

Systematics

Proboscidea althaeifolia was first described as Martynia althaeifolia by the English botanist George Bentham around 1865 .

  • Proboscidea althaeifolia ( Benth. ) Decne. : Devil's Claw, Coyote Devil's Claw, Iispuer; Syn. Martynia althaeifolia Benth. , Proboscidea arenaria Engelm. , Martynia arenaria Engelm. , Proboscidea peruviana Van Eselt. , Martynia palmeri S. Watson .

Ethnobotany

As with other species of the genus Proboscidea (such as Proboscidea louisianica ), the ripening fruits of Prob. Althaeifolia is often pickled like pickles and eaten later by the locals . The dried fruits are used for decoration and basket weaving. The Navajo Indians and Pima Indians report that the dried leaves and flowers are made into a tea for headache and neck pain.

literature

  • John Slattery: Southwest Foraging: 117 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Barrel Cactus to Wild Oregano . Timber Press, Portland (Oregon) 2016, ISBN 978-1-60469-770-4 , p. 109.
  • Clarence A. Hall Jr .: Introduction to the Geology of Southern California and Its Native Plants. University of California Press, Berkeley 2007, ISBN 978-0-520-93326-2 .
  • Daniel E. Moerman: Native American medicinal plants: an ethnobotanical dictionary. Timber Press, Portland (Oregon) 2009, ISBN 978-1-60469-035-4 .
  • Stanley D. Jones, Joseph K. Wipff, Paul M. Montgomery: Vascular Plants of Texas: A Comprehensive Checklist Including Synonymy, Bibliography, and Index. University of Texas Press, Austin 2014, ISBN 978-0-292-78854-1 .
  • Raul Gutierrez: A Phylogenetic Study of the Plant Family Martyniaceae (Order Lamiales). Dissertation, Arizona State Univ., December 2011, online (PDF; 41.7 MB), from ASU Digital Repository, accessed September 26, 2018.

Web links

Commons : Proboscidea althaeifolia  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Clarence A. Hall Jr .: Introduction to the Geology of Southern California and Its Native Plants. P. 30.
  2. ↑ Distribution overview of Proboscidea althaeifolia on plants.usda.gov , section “General” (English); last accessed on September 12, 2018.
  3. ^ A b Raul Gutierrez: A Phylogenetic Study of the Plant Family Martyniaceae (Order Lamiales). Pp. 131-133.
  4. ^ Daniel E. Moerman: Native American medicinal plants. Pp. 385, 618.