Common Tormentil

Common Tormentil
Common Tormentil
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Potentilla
Species: P. erecta
Binomial name
Potentilla erecta
Uspenski ex Ledeb.

Common Tormentil (Potentilla erecta syn. Tormentilla erecta, Potentilla tormentilla) is a herbaceous perennial belonging to the rose family (Rosaceae), also known as Septfoil[1] or simply as "tormentil" (which may also refer to similar species of Potentilla however).

Characteristics

It is a low, clumb-forming plant with slender, procumbent to arcuately upright stalks, growing 10–30 cm. tall and with non-rooting runners. It grows wild all over Asia and northern Europe, mostly in a wide variety of habitats, such as clearings, meadows, sandy soils and dunes.

This plant is flowering from May to August/September. There is one yellow, 7–11 mm wide flower, growing at the tip of a long stalk. There are almost always four notched petals, each with a length between 3 and 6 mm. Four petals are rather uncommon in the rose family. The petals are somewhat longer than the sepals. There are 20-25 stamens.

The glossy leaves are pinnately compound. The radical leaves have a long petiole, while the leaves on the stalks are usually sessile and have sometimes shorter petioles. Each leaf consists of three obovate leaflets with serrate leaf margins. The stipules are leaflike and palmately lobed.

There are 2-8 dry, inedible fruits.

Uses

The rhizomatous root is thick. It can be used for food in times of need and to dye leather red.

The plant is particularly used in herbal medicine as an astringent because of its tannin content,[citation needed] which is unusually high for an herbaceous plant. This is linked to its use as a red dye, which is due to the structurally similar phlobaphene content.[2] Phlobaphenes can be extracted from the root of the common tormentil and is known as tormentil red, alongside the triterpene alcohol tormentol.

The roots are a main ingredient of a bitter liqueur from Bavaria and the Black Forest area, called Blutwurz.[3]

References

  1. ^ Septfoil - definition of Septfoil by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia
  2. ^ Lund, K. and Rimpler, H. (1985) Deutsche Apotheke Zeitung 125 (3), 105.
  3. ^ "Blutwurz". Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Forsten. http://www.food-from-bavaria.de/de/reg_spez/einzelprodukt.php?an=203&display_lang=en. Retrieved 2011-06-04. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Potentilla — Cinquefoil redirects here. For other uses, see Cinquefoil (disambiguation). Potentilla Potentilla arenaria Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Phlobaphene — is the red pigment present in the pericarp of certain maize varieties Phlobaphenes (or phlobaphens, CAS No.:71663 19 9) can be defined either as the reddish colored phenolic substances extracted from plant that are alcohol soluble and water… …   Wikipedia

  • Dartmoor — For the pony, see Dartmoor Pony; for the prison, see Dartmoor (HM Prison); for the Victorian hamlet in Australia, see Dartmoor, Victoria Coordinates: 50°34′N 4°0′W / 50.567° …   Wikipedia

  • P. erecta — may refer to: Plantago erecta, a small annual herb species Potentilla erecta, the common tormentil, a plant species See also Erecta (disambiguation) This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same abbreviated species Latin name.… …   Wikipedia

  • Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust — The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland, England. Founded in 1956, (originally under the name Leicestershire and Rutland Trust for Nature Conservation ) the trust now… …   Wikipedia

  • Fire Beacon Hill — This is a Local Nature Reserve found in East Devon, England. It is registered as Common land known as Harpford Common. Sidmouth Town Council are the current owners, and are responsible for the management of the site=Geology=The site is part of… …   Wikipedia

  • Lambert's Castle — Location map Dorset lat=50.78713 long= 2.89509 width=180 float=right caption= Lambert s Castle shown within Dorset (gbmapping|SY370990)Lambert s Castle is an Iron Age hill fort in Dorset, England.The fort rises to a height of 256 m on a broad… …   Wikipedia

  • Purple moor grass and rush pastures — is a type of Biodiversity Action Plan habitat in the UK. It occurs on poorly drained neutral and acidic soils of the lowlands and upland fringe. It is found in the South West of England, especially in Devon. The vegetation consists of species… …   Wikipedia

  • Traditional dyes of the Scottish Highlands — are the native vegetable dyes used in Scottish Gaeldom.The following are the principal dyestuffs with the colours they produce. Several of the tints are very bright, but have now been superseded by various mineral dyes. The Latin names are given… …   Wikipedia

  • Whitton Bridge Pasture — Geobox Protected Area name = Whitton Bridge Pasture native name = other name = other name1 = category local = Site of Special Scientific Interest category iucn = image size = image caption = country = England region = North East region type =… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”