Cobbler palms

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Cobbler palms
Aspidistra elatior

Aspidistra elatior

Systematics
Class : Bedecktsamer (Magnoliopsida)
Monocots
Order : Asparagales (Asparagales)
Family : Asparagaceae (Asparagaceae)
Subfamily : Nolinoideae
Genre : Cobbler palms
Scientific name
Aspidistra
Ker Gawl.

The aspidistra ( Aspidistra , from Greek aspidion "small round shield") are a genus of the family of asparagaceae (Asparagaceae). The Aspidistra species are originally native to East Asia (China, eastern Himalayas and Japan).

description

Aspidistra species usually grow as evergreen, perennial herbaceous plants . Creeping, long rhizomes are formed. The basal leaves stand individually or in pairs or four directly on the rhizome. The upright leaves consist of a long petiole and leaf blade. The simple leaf blade has many leaf veins .

The inflorescence stem is usually very short, so that the flowers are often just above the ground. The inflorescence stem has two to eight scaly leaves and usually only one, sometimes two flowers are located directly above one or two bracts . The hermaphroditic flowers are radial symmetry . The fleshy bracts are bell-shaped, cup-shaped or urn-shaped with usually six or eight (four to ten) bract lobes. There are four to ten stamens present, which are mostly inserted in the upper area of ​​the bloom tube. There are at most very short stamens. Three or four carpels are fused to form a three- or four- chamber ovary. Each ovary chamber contains some ovules . The short style ends in a large, shield-shaped or mushroom-shaped scar that has a smooth or lobed edge.

The spherical or ovoid-ellipsoidal berries usually contain only one seed.

Systematics

The genus Aspidistra was established in 1823 by the British botanist John Bellenden Ker-Gawler in Bot. Reg. , 8, plate 628. The genus was formerly classified in the families Convallariaceae and Liliaceae . There are around 140 species of Aspidistra .

In the following list of species, in addition to the botanical author abbreviation, the publication with the year of publication of the first description is given:

Culture of Aspidistra elatior outdoors
Habit of Aspidistra elatior
Aspidistra elatior flowers just above the ground
Aspidistra elatior cv. variegata , cultivated form with variegated leaves
The leaf tips of the cultivar Aspidistra elatior 'Lennon's Song'
Aspidistra fungilliformis
Aspidistra grandiflora blooming
Aspidistra subrotata
Aspidistra elatior in a pot, approx. 50 years old, with flowers and buds

use

From the genus Aspidistra , there is one species that is more commonly used as an ornamental plant: Aspidistra elatior is a robust ornamental plant for parks and gardens in frost-free areas; it is a sturdy house plant with dark green, leathery, shiny leaves. It also copes well with low temperatures, drafts and little light and was therefore often used for decoration in shops (cobbler palm or butcher palm). It is also offered as a cut green for florists. Despite their robustness, cobbler palms are no longer easily available because they are considered old-fashioned. It came into vogue when private households were increasingly being lit with gas. The resulting ethylene provides a phytohormone u. a. for the ripening of fruits, but also for the shedding of leaves. Because aspidistra are immune to these effects, they have become a popular house plant.

George Orwell satirically treated the plant species often found in offices or houses of the middle class in England in his novel " Keep the Aspidistra Flying " (1936, German: "Die Wonnen der Aspidistra", filmed in 1997). English trivial names are: "iron plant", "barroom plant", "cast-iron plant".

literature

  • Liang Songyun (梁松筠) & Minoru N. Tamura: Aspidistra in the Flora of China , Volume 24, 2000, p. 240: Online .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Aspidistra. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  2. ↑ Schusterpalmen.de

Web links

Commons : Cobbler palms ( Aspidistra )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Schusterpalme  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Wiktionary: Metzgerpalme  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations