Black cumin
Black cumin | ||||||||||||
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![]() Maiden in the Green ( Nigella damascena ) |
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Nigella | ||||||||||||
L. |
The black cumin ( Nigella ) are a genus of plants in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) with around 20 species .
Description and ecology
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Illustration_Nigella_arvensis0.jpg/220px-Illustration_Nigella_arvensis0.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Nigella_ciliaris_2.jpg/220px-Nigella_ciliaris_2.jpg)
Vegetative characteristics
Nigella species are annual herbaceous plants . The stems are leafy. The leaves are two to three times pinnate, the pinna are hair thin.
Generative characteristics
The radial symmetry flowers are five-fold. The five bracts are white to blue or faded, the five honey leaves are cup-shaped, two-lipped, not petal-like. The stamens are numerous, the five or ten carpels are partially or completely fused. The branches of the style remain free; they form stylodies that are twisted or screwed in space. The pollination is done by insects.
The fruits are follicles .
Types (selection)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/Nigella_arvensis-Acker_Schwarzk%C3%BCmmel.jpg/220px-Nigella_arvensis-Acker_Schwarzk%C3%BCmmel.jpg)
- Field black cumin ( Nigella arvensis L. ): occurs in Eurasia and is a field margin and ruderal plant in Central Europe .
- Nigella carpatha Strid . The endemic occurs only on the islands of Karpathos and Kasos .
- Nigella ciliaris DC. , Home: Syria, Palestine, Cyprus.
- Jungfer im Grünen ( Nigella damascena L. ): cultivated in gardens and overgrown, home: Southern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia.
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Nigella degenii Vierh. , occurs only on Greek islands and here in four subspecies:
- Nigella degenii subsp. barbro Strid
- Nigella degenii subsp. degenii
- Nigella degenii subsp. jenny Strid
- Nigella degenii subsp. minor strid
- Nigella doerfleri Vierh. , occurs only in Greece and Crete.
- Nigella elata Boiss. , Home: Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Asia Minor and Aegean Sea.
- Nigella fumariifolia Kotschy , occurs only in Greece, Cyprus, Crete and maybe also in the Aegean Sea.
- Nigella gallica Jordan , home: Portugal, Spain and France.
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Nigella hispanica L. , with two subspecies:
- Nigella hispanica subsp. atlantica Murb. , occurs in Spain, Portugal and North Africa.
- Nigella hispanica subsp. hispanica , home: Spain, Portugal.
- Nigella orientalis L. , native to: Bulgaria, Turkey, Crimea, Iran, Caucasus, Central Asia.
- Real black cumin ( Nigella sativa L. ): cultivated as a spice and oil plant, origin: Southwest Asia, not native to Central Europe.
- Nigella segetalis Bieb. , occurs in Crimea and the Middle East.
- Nigella stricta Strid , home: Greece, Crete.
The following are sometimes placed in the genus Nigella :
- Garidella nigellastrum L. (Syn. Nigella nigellastrum (L.) Willk. ), Occurs in Spain, France, Western Asia, Crete, Crimea and on the Aegean Islands.
- Garidella unguicularis Poiret ( Syn.Nigella unguicularis (Poiret) Spenner )
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 .
- Siegmund Seybold (Ed.): Schmeil-Fitschen interactive . CD-ROM, version 1.1. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2002, ISBN 3-494-01327-6 .
- Jaakko Jalas, Juha Suominen (ed.): Atlas Florae Europaeae. Distribution of Vascular Plants in Europe. 8. Nymphaeaceae to Ranunculaceae. Akateeminen Kirjakauppa, The Committee for Mapping the Flora of Europe & Societas Biologica Fennica Vanamo, Helsinki 1989, ISBN 951-9108-07-6 , pp. 32-37.
- Walter Erhardt, Erich Götz, Nils Bödeker, Siegmund Seybold: The great pikeperch. Encyclopedia of Plant Names. Volume 2. Types and varieties. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8001-5406-7 .