Cicerbita alpina
| Cicerbita alpina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cicerbita alpina | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Tribe: | Cichorieae |
| Genus: | Cicerbita |
| Species: | C. Alpina |
| Binomial name | |
| Cicerbita alpina (L.) Wallr. | |
| Synonyms | |
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Cicerbita alpina, commonly known as theAlpine Sow-thistle or Alpine Blue Sow-thistle is a perennial herbaceous species of plant belonging to the genus Cicerbita of the Asteraceae family. It is native to upland and mountainous parts of Europe.
Description
Cicerbita alpina on average reaches 80 centimetres (31 in) in height, with a minimum height of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum height of 150 cm (59 in). The stem is erect and usually unbranched. It has glandular hairs and contains a white milky juice, a kind of latex. The alternate leaves are broad, triangular and clasping the stem, bluish-grey beneath, hairy along the veins and with toothed margins. The inflorescence is a panicle. Each composite flower is about 2.5 cm (1 in) wide and is set within a whorl of bracts. The individual blue-violet florets are tongue-like with a toothed, truncated tip, each having five stamens and a fused carpel. The seeds are clothed in unbranched hairs. The flowering period extends from June to September.[1]
Distribution and habitat
Cicerbita alpina grows on all the mountains of Europe (the Alps, the Pyrenees, the northern Apennines, the Scandinavian Peninsula, Scotland (where it is endangered and found in only four locations), the Carpathians and the Urals.[2] These plants can be found in alpine woods, besides streams, in rich-soil in hollows and in tall meadows, usually between 1,000 and 1,800 metres (3,300 and 5,900 ft) above sea level.[1]
Ecology
In Finland this plant is known as "bear-hay" because the Eurasian brown bear feeds on it, as do elk and reindeer. People also sometimes make use of it and eat it raw or cooked in reindeer milk.[1]
Secondary metabolites
The edible shoots of Cicerbita alpina contain 8-O-Acetyl-15-beta-D-glucopyranosyllactucin, which causes the bitter taste of the vegetable, and caffeic acid derivatives chlorogenic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, caffeoyltartaric acid, and cichoric acid.[3]
Gallery
 Flowers of Cicerbita alpina |
 Flower of Cicerbita alpina'' |
 Leaf of Cicerbita alpina'' |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Alpine Sowthistle". NatureGate. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
- ↑ http://www.plantlife.org.uk/scotland/wild_plants/plant_species_scotland/?ent=171
- ↑ Fusani, P; Zidorn, C (2010). "Phenolics and a sesquiterpene lactone in the edible shoots of Cicerbita alpina (L.) Wallroth". Journal of Food Composition and Analysis (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) 23: 658–663. doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2009.08.014. ISSN 0889-1575.
- Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia - Edagricole – 1982. vol. III
External links
- Cicerbita alpina Species listing page.
- Biolib
- Cicerbita alpina
- Cicerbita alpina image gallery
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