Withania
| Withania | ||||||||||||
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Withania frutescens |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Withania | ||||||||||||
| Pauquy |
Withania is a genus ofthe nightshade family . Depending on the author, the genus iscircumscribedmore narrowly, with only about ten species or wider, with around 20 species.
description
Withania are shrubs or herbaceous perennials . They are covered with branched or partially unbranched trichomes . The strongly branched stem grows upright. The simple, stalked leaves stand individually or in pairs. They can be hairless or hairy. When hairy, the trichomes are often branched.
The flowers stand individually or in tightly packed groups in the armpits. The flower stalks are short. The calyx is bell-shaped and covered with calyx teeth, the petals are fused and form a narrow bell-shaped crown, the incisions between the petals often reach halfway up the crown.
The stamens are of the same shape and set near the base of the corolla tube. The stamens are slightly clipped, the anthers are often inclined towards each other. The base of the flower is pronounced and annularly surrounds the base of the ovary . This is two-chambered and contains a large number of ovules . The stylus is slim.
When the fruit ripens, the calyx enlarges, encloses the spherical, shiny berry and closes at the top. The seeds are depressed kidney-shaped, the embryo is screwed and lies on the edge of the seed.
Systematics
The scope of the genre is interpreted differently by different authors. While Heppner (1991) only includes ten species in the genus that occur from the Canary Islands via Africa to Nepal , Armando Hunziker (2001) summarizes the genera Withania (sensu Heppner), Physaliastrum , Mellissia and Archiphysalis , so that the Genus includes around 20 species. In the system according to Olmstead (2007), however, the four genera are again listed separately.
The following types can be named (selection):
- Withania aristata (Aiton) Pauquy
- Withania coagulans (Stocks) Dunal : It occurs in Afghanistan, India and Nepal.
- Withania frutescens (L.) Pauquy
- Sleeping berry ( Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal )
use
The sleeping berry ( Withania somnifera ) is an important part of folk medicine in Africa , India and Pakistan . Like all members of the genus, it contains a large proportion of withanolides and alkaloids . Its Indian name is "Ashwagandha", the plant is often referred to as "Indian ginseng".
Individual evidence
- ↑ Zhang Zhi-yun, Lu An-ming and William G. D'Arcy: Withania . In: Flora of China , Volume 17. Pages 312-313. 1994.
- ↑ Armando T. Hunziker: The Genera of Solanaceae . ARG Gantner Verlag KG, Ruggell, Liechtenstein 2001. ISBN 978-3904144773 .
- ^ Richard G. Olmstead and Lynn Bohs: A Summary of Molecular Systematic Research in Solanaceae: 1982-2006. In: DM Spooner et al. (Ed.): Solanaceae VI: Genomics Meets Biodiversity. ISHS Acta Horticulturae 745, June 2007, ISBN 978-9066054271 .
- ^ Withania in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
