Smelly goosefoot
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Smelly goosefoot ( Chenopodium vulvaria ) |
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The stinking goosefoot ( Chenopodium vulvaria L. ), also called stink goosefoot or foul-smelling goosefoot , is a species of plant in the foxtail family (Amaranthaceae). It is widespread in Eurasia and North Africa. The smell of decaying fish is characteristic, hence the common name .
Description and ecology
Vegetative characteristics
The smelly goosefoot is an annual herbaceous plant . It has a strong, unpleasant odor of rotting fish (caused by trimethylamine ); the smell persists for decades even with dried herbaric plants and is particularly noticeable when the plant parts are rubbed. The upright to prostrate, floured and not reddish stem becomes about 40 centimeters long and is usually heavily branched. The lowermost, ascending to prostrate, up to 70 centimeters long side branches sometimes appear almost opposite due to the short distance between the leaves.
The alternate leaves have a length of up to 3 centimeters and a width of up to 1.5 centimeters and are 0.8 to 0.9 centimeters long stalk. The leaf blade is rhombic to oval, with a truncated or narrowed base and entire margins. They are powdered gray, particularly dense on the underside; on top they are gray-green or rarely reddish.
Inflorescence and flower
In short, terminal paniculate or lateral, annual total inflorescences , the flowers stand together in small, almost spherical clusters (partial inflorescences ). Pre-leaves are missing. The flowers are mostly hermaphroditic. The inflorescence consists of five floury tepals connected at least to the middle . The free Tepalenzipfel are triangular with a length and width of 0.5 to 0.7 mm with a rounded back. There are five stamens (often missing in lateral flowers) and two short stigmas.
The pollination is usually done by the wind, rarely by insects. The flowering period in Germany extends from June to September. For Pakistan, an earlier flowering time is given from April to July.
Fruit and seeds
The flat, egg-shaped fruits fall off together with the adjacent flower cover. The horizontal seed is lens-shaped with a diameter of 0.9 to 1.2 mm with a rounded outline. Its brown-black seed coat is smooth and has only faint radial stripes.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 18 (2n = 36 were found in one study).
Ingredients and toxicity
The unpleasant odor is caused by trimethylamine . All parts of the plant are considered to be less toxic.
The main active ingredients are mono-, di- and trimethylamine, 1.14% betaine.
In larger doses, trimethylamine causes cerebral spasms that can turn into real tetanus . Furthermore, an increase in reflex excitability and an increase in blood pressure can be observed. Death can result from respiratory failure.
Since the smelly goosefoot contains little trimethylamine and tastes very unpleasant, poisoning is unlikely.
Occurrence and endangerment
The smelly goosefoot is native to the Mediterranean region ( North Africa , Southern Europe ), Central and Eastern Europe , Southwest Asia, and Central Asia. It is also introduced in South Africa , North America and Australia . It is distributed almost all over Europe from the meridional to the north-temperate climatic zone, in the north, however, it occurs only as an adventitious plant .
While in Central Europe it is restricted to the flat and hill country, it can thrive in Iran up to altitudes of 2800 m. Its habitat are disturbed areas such as gardens, fields and roadsides, in Iran also wasteland, steppes or open dry forests.
In Germany , the stinking goosefoot was introduced as a medicinal plant centuries ago and has become feral from cultures ( archaeophyte ). He settles here short-lived ruderal corridors (Association Sisymbrion), for example on paths, fences or walls, on garbage or rubble sites, on chicken yards, goose frogs or on open manholes in old village centers. It is a pointer plant for warmth and excessive nitrogen abundance . In the system of plant sociology it is a characteristic of the association Chenopodietum vulvariae.
Due to development, village renovation, castle restoration or grouting of walls, the habitats of the stinking goose foot are disappearing today, so that the populations in Central Europe have declined sharply. In Germany this species is considered to be critically endangered ( Red List of Endangered Species 2). In Brandenburg , Saxony-Anhalt , Thuringia , Hesse , Rhineland-Palatinate , Saarland and Bavaria it is considered critically endangered, in Lower Saxony with Bremen , Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania , Saxony , North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg as critically endangered (Red List 1 ). It is already extinct in Schleswig-Holstein , Hamburg and Berlin .
In Switzerland , too , Chenopodium vulvaria is on the red list as endangered or critically endangered.
Systematics
The first publication of Chenopodium vulvaria was in 1753 by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum .
Synonyms for Chenopodium vulvaria L. are Chenopodium foetidum Lam. (nom. illeg.), Chenopodium olidum Curtis (nom. illeg.), as well as Atriplex vulvaria (L.) Garsault (nom. inval.) and Atriplex vulvularia (L.) Crantz .
use
Chenopodium vulvaria was used in folk medicine as a medicinal plant . The whole plant was used against cramps and against the absence of menstruation ( amenorrhea ). An infusion of the dried leaves was in the treatment of neurotic disorders, hysteria and gynecological disorders administered.
The seeds should be edible cooked or ground. In order to remove the slightly toxic saponins , prior soaking and careful rinsing are necessary.
The plant was also used as a coloring plant and produced golden-green hues.
Common names
For the stinking goosefoot the other common German names exist or existed : Bockskraut, Bocksmölten ( Silesia ), Buhlkraut, Faulfischkraut ( Switzerland ), Fazenkraut (Silesia), Fotzenkraut ( Lienz , Frankfurt an der Oder ), Fühlkraut, Hundsmelte ( Baden-Baden ), Naked Whore, Smelly Whore (Silesia, Saxony , Thuringia ), Mauzenkraut (Silesia), Dungwort, Mistmelde, Oral rot ( Austria ), Schamkraut (Saxony), Scheissmelde, Wühlkraut (Saxony) and Wuhlkraut (Saxony).
literature
- Steven E. Clemants, Sergei L. Mosyakin: Chenopodium . In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (Ed.): Flora of North America North of Mexico . Volume 4: Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae, part 1 . Oxford University Press, New York / Oxford a. a. 2003, ISBN 0-19-517389-9 , Chenopodium vulvaria , p. 299 (English, online ). (Section description)
- Henning Haeupler, Thomas Muer: picture atlas of the fern and flowering plants of Germany . Ed .: Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (= The fern and flowering plants of Germany . Volume 2 ). Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3364-4 , pp. 89 . (Occurrence section)
- Pertti Uotila: Chenopodium vulvaria . In: Karl Heinz Rechinger et al. (Ed.): Flora Iranica. Volume 172 - Chenopodiaceae , Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, Graz 1997, ISBN 3-201-00728-5 , pp. 42–43. (Sections Description, Occurrence)
- Pertti Uotila: Chenopodium. In: Helmut Freitag, Ian C. Hedge, Saiyad Masudal Hasan Jafri, Gabriele Kothe-Heinrich, S. Omer, Pertti Uotila: Flora of Pakistan 204: Chenopodiaceae. University of Karachi, Department of Botany / Missouri Botanical Press, Karachi / St. Louis 2001, ISBN 1-930723-10-5 , Chenopodium vulvaria (online) . (Section description)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Entry in botany in the picture: Flora of Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol , accessed on December 14, 2011.
- ↑ a b c Common names and applications. In: Liber Herbarum , accessed December 14, 2011.
- ↑ a b c Chenopodium vulvaria. In: ufz.de , accessed on December 14, 2011.
- ↑ a b Chenopodium vulvaria at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed December 14, 2011.
- ↑ a b c d Lutz Roth, Max Daunderer, Kurt Kormann: Toxic Plants - Plant Poisons. Occurrence, effect, therapy, allergic and phototoxic reactions. With a special section about poisonous animals. 6th, revised edition, special edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-86820-009-6 .
- ↑ a b Pertti Uotila: Chenopodiaceae (pro parte majore). Chenopodium vulvaria. In: Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Berlin 2011, accessed on December 14, 2011.
- ↑ Smelly goosefoot. In: FloraWeb.de.
- ↑ Chenopodium vulvaria. In: Info Flora (the national data and information center for Swiss flora). Retrieved May 4, 2015.
- ↑ Carl von Linné: Species Plantarum. Volume 1, Lars Salvius, Stockholm 1753, p. 220 ( digitized version ).
- ↑ a b c Chenopodium vulvaria at Plants For A Future . Retrieved December 14, 2011.
- ^ Dictionary network - German dictionary by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , on woerterbuchnetz.de. Retrieved February 19, 2018
- ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, p. 92 ( online ).
Web links
- Smelly goosefoot. In: FloraWeb.de.
- Distribution map for Germany. In: Floraweb .
- Chenopodium vulvaria L. In: Info Flora , the national data and information center for Swiss flora .
- Distribution in the northern hemisphere. From: Eric Hultén, Magnus Fries: Atlas of North European vascular plants. 1986, ISBN 3-87429-263-0 at Den virtuella floran. (Swedish).
- Distribution map for Europe
- Günther Blaich: Photos of European plants: Chenopodium vulvaria.
- Photos at Encyclopedia of Life
- Illustration in the Flora of Pakistan
