Archive for May, 2010

Lamium album (White Deadnettle) is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native throughout Europe and western Asia, growing in a variety of habitats from open grassland to woodland, generally on moist, fertile soils.

Growth
It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 50-100 cm tall, with green, four-angled stems. The leaves are 3-8 cm long and 2-5 cm broad, triangular with a rounded base, softly hairy, and with a serrated margin and a petiole up to 5 cm long; like many other members of the Lamiaceae, they appear superficially similar to those of the Stinging nettle Urtica dioica but do not sting, hence the common name “dead nettle”. The flowers are white, produced in whorls (‘verticillasters’) on the upper part of the stem, the individual flowers 1.5-2.5 cm long.

Cultivation and uses
The young leaves are edible, and can be used in salads or cooked as a vegetable. The plant is also used in herbal medicine, for example as a dermatological remedy.

Bees are attracted to the flowers which contain nectar or pollen, hence the plant is sometimes called the Bee Nettle.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_album

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Lamium amplexicaule (Henbit Deadnettle, Greater Henbit) is a species of Lamium native to Europe, western Asia and northern Africa.

It is a low-growing annual plant growing to 10-25 cm tall, with soft, finely hairy stems. The leaves are opposite, rounded, 2-3 cm diameter, with a lobed margin. The flowers are pink to purple, 1.5-2 cm long.

It flowers very early in the spring even in northern areas, and for most of the winter and the early spring in warmer areas such as the Mediterranean region.

It propagates freely by seed and is regarded as a minor weed. Sometimes entire fields will be reddish-purple with its flowers before spring ploughing. Where common, is an important nectar and pollen plant for bees, especially honeybees, where it helps start the spring buildup.

It is widely naturalised in eastern North America and elsewhere, where it is often considered to be an invasive weed. However, its edibility and readiness to grow in many climes often mean it is permitted to grow when other ‘weeds’ are not.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henbit

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Centaurea (pronounced /ˌsɛntɔːˈriːə/ “Cen-tau-ré-a”) is a genus of at least some 350, if not 500 to 600 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding regions are particularly species-rich. Common names for this genus are starthistles, knapweeds, centaureas and the more ambiguous “bluets”; a vernacular name used for these plants in parts of England is “loggerheads”. The Plectocephalus group – possibly a distinct genus – is known as basketflowers. “Cornflowers” is used for a few species, but that term more often specifically means C. cyanus (sometimes also called “Basket Flower”). And while one sometimes finds the name “centauries”, this properly refers to the unrelated plant genus Centaurium.

Use by humans
Though the overall effect of the entire genus on humans is probably detrimental, this is merely due to the considerable damage done by a handful of species when these are allowed to spread uncontrolled. On a per-species basis, most centaureas are inoffensive and at least pleasant-looking plants. As noted above, many species of Centaurea are popular food for insects that may otherwise attack crops; particular in small-scale farming it is often advisable to allow non-invasive species (like Cornflower, C. cyanus, in Europe) to grow around fields. In such a beetle bank, they will draw pests away from crops, and at the same time by their robust structure provide shelter for invertebrate and small vertebrate predators that will keep overall pest populations low.

The abundant nectar produced by Centaurea flowers attracts many pollinators. This is another reason for the success of the highly invasive species, but as it holds true for the entire genus it is not decisive. Yet it can be exploited to the farmer’s advantage in combination with biological control of these weeds: In particular the Yellow Starthistle (C. solstitialis) as well as Spotted Knapweed (C. maculosa) are major honey plants for beekeepers. Monofloral honey from these plants is light and slightly tangy, and one of the finest honeys produced in the USA – due to its better availability, it is even fraudulently relabeled and sold as the scarce and expensive Sourwood honey of the Appalachian Mountains. Placing beehives near stands of Centaurea will cause increased pollination. As most seedheads fail however when biocontrol pests have established themselves, the plants will bloom ever more abundantly in an attempt to replace the destroyed seedheads, to the point where they exhaust their resources in providing food for the pests (seeds), bees (pollen) and humans (honey). Output of allelopathic compounds is also liable to be reduced under such conditions – the plant has to compromise between allocating energy to reproduction and defense. This renders the weeds more likely to be suppressed by native vegetation or crops in the following years, especially if properly timed controlled burning[4] and/or targeted grazing by suitable livestock are also employed. While Yellow Starthistle and perhaps other species are toxic to equines, some other livestock may eat the non-spiny knapweeds with relish. In Europe, Common Knapweed (C. nigra) and Globe Knapweed (C. macrocephala) are locally important pollen sources for honeybees in mid-late summer.

8-Hydroxyquinoline has been identified as a main allelopathic compound produced by Diffuse Knapweed (C. diffusa); native North American plants are typically sensitive to it, while those of Eastern Europe and Asia Minor usually have coevolved with the knapweed and are little harmed if at all, aided by native microorganisms that break down or even feed on the abundantly secreted compound. Thus, 8-hydroxyquinoline is potentially useful to control American plants that have become invasive weeds in the Diffuse Knapweed’s native range. Arctiin, found in C. imperialis, has shown anticancer activity in laboratory studies. And Spotted Knapweed as well as other species are rich in cnicin, a bitter compound found mainly in the leaves and often used to flavor the digestif amaro.

Some species are cultivated as ornamental plants in gardens. As regards other aspects of popular culture, Cornflower (C. cyanus) is the floral emblem of Östergötland province (Sweden) – where is it called blåklint, literally “blue mountain” – and of Päijänne Tavastia region in Finland, where it is known as ruiskaunokki (“rye-beaks”) or ruiskukka (“rye-flower”). It is also the national flower of Estonia – its local name rukkilill meaning “rye-lily” –, Belarus where it is called vałoška (Belarusian: валошка), and one of those of Germany where it is called Kornblume (“cornflower”). The origin of the name “caltrop” for the ancient low-tech area denial weapon is probably in some way connected with the Purple Starthistle (C. calcitrapa) and its spiny seeds. This plant is attested to by the colloquial name “caltrop” at a time when the weapons were still called by their Roman name tribulus. Lastly, the color cornflower blue is named after C. cyanus.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_thistle#cite_note-kko2006-1

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