Bassia scoparia

Bassia scoparia is a large annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae (sensu lato) native to Eurasia. It has been introduced to many parts of North America,[1] where it is found in grassland, prairie, and desert shrub ecosystems.[2] Its common names include ragweed, summer cypress,[2] mock-cypress, kochia, belvedere, World's Fair plant, burningbush,[1] Mexican firebrush, and Mexican fireweed,[3] the provenance of the latter three names being the herb's red autumn foliage.

Bassia scoparia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Bassia
Species:
B. scoparia
Binomial name
Bassia scoparia
Synonyms
  • Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad.

Description

The fruit of Bassia scoparia with the calyx attached is dull brown, but when hulled reveals dull black seeds,[4] or dark to blackish-brown seeds in some escaped regions such as Europe.[5]

The seeds are dispersed by wind and water, and are transported when the whole plant detaches and rolls on the wind as a tumbleweed.[2] The seed does not persist in the soil seed bank, dying within about a year if it fails to germinate.[2]

The species is a C4 plant, specifically of the NADP-ME type.[6][7] It develops herbicide resistance unusually quickly[8] and quadruple-resistant populations have developed in North America.[8]

Taxonomy

The species was first published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus, who named it Chenopodium scoparium. In 1809, it was placed in the genus Kochia by Heinrich Schrader. It was transferred to Bassia in 1978 by Andrew J. Scott. Kochia was included in Bassia in 2011 following phylogenetic studies.[6]

Uses

This plant is grown as an ornamental plant as evergreen foliage for landscapes,[9] as well as for its red fall foliage. It has also been useful in erosion control on denuded soils.[10] It has been suggested as an agent of phytoremediation,[10] because it is a hyperaccumulator of chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, silver, zinc,[11] and uranium.[12]

Tonburi
"Tonburi" redirects here. Not to be confused with Thonburi.
Tonburi
Tonburi

In Japan the dull black seeds are used as a food garnish called tonburi (とんぶり) (Japanese).[13] Because its texture is similar to caviar, it has been called "land caviar",[14] "field caviar", and "mountain caviar".[13] It is a chinmi, or delicacy, in Akita prefecture.[15][13] The seed dish is prepared by boiling the seeds for about 30 minutes, soaking them in running water, and rubbing them in the hands to hull them.[15]

Traditional medicine

The seeds are used in traditional Chinese medicine to help regulate disorders such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and atherosclerosis. In a study of mice fed a high-fat diet, an extract of the seeds limited obesity.[16] They contain momordin Ic, a triterpene saponin.[17]

Foraging

The plant is a moderately useful forage for livestock, especially on dry lands.[18] The plant contains higher levels of protein and oxalate than most grasses and fodder plants.[9] However, its use is limited by its toxicity in large quantities.[19] Livestock ingesting large amounts can experience weight loss, hyperbilirubinemia, photosensitization, and polyuria.[20]

Brooms

The plant's common name in Japan is hahaki-gi or hōki-gusa which signify 'broom-tree' or 'broom-weed', and it has traditionally been used to make brooms.[13][21]

In Serbia and Bulgaria,[22] brooms are produced by simply tying several dried plants of this species together, using the branches as the broom head and the stems as the handle; this is convenient since the broom does not require a separate handle.[22]

Culture

Medieval Japanese legend has it that this broom tree would disappear from sight whenever approached, and Sakanoue no Korenori wrote a waka poem alluding to this myth.[21]

See also

References
  1. Bassia scoparia. USDA PLANTS. Retrieved October 19, 2007.
  2. Kochia scoparia. Archived January 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine USFS Fire Effects Information System.
  3. "Bassia scoparia". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  4. Egginton, George E. (January 1921), "Colorado Weed Seeds", Bulletin - Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station (260): 38
  5. Bojnanský, Vít [in Slovak]; Fargašová, Agáta (2007). Atlas of Seeds and Fruits of Central and East-European Flora: The Carpathian Mountains Region. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 107. ISBN 9781402053610.
  6. Kadereit, Gudrun; Freitag, Helmut (2011). "Molecular phylogeny of Camphorosmeae (Camphorosmoideae, Chenopodiaceae): Implications for biogeography, evolution of C4-photosynthesis and taxonomy". Taxon. 60 (1): 51–78. doi:10.1002/tax.601006.
  7. Muhaidat R, Sage RF, Dengler NG (March 2007). "Diversity of Kranz anatomy and biochemistry in C4 eudicots". American Journal of Botany. 94 (3): 362–81. doi:10.3732/ajb.94.3.362. PMID 21636407.
  8. Kumar, Vipan; Jha, Prashant; Jugulam, Mithila; Yadav, Ramawatar; Stahlman, Phillip W. (2018-12-07). "Herbicide-Resistant Kochia (Bassia scoparia) in North America: A Review". Weed Science. Weed Science Society of America. 67: 4–15. doi:10.1017/wsc.2018.72. S2CID 91312866.
  9. "Kochia Scoparia". The Lovely Plants. Archived from the original on 2019-04-09. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  10. Casey, P.A. (2009). "Plant guide for kochia (Kochia scoparia)" (PDF). Manhattan, Kansas: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Kansas Plant Materials Center.
  11. McCutcheon; Schnoor (2003). Phytoremediation. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
  12. Schmidt U (2003). "Enhancing phytoextraction: the effect of chemical soil manipulation on mobility, plant accumulation, and leaching of heavy metals". Journal of Environmental Quality. 32 (6): 1939–54. doi:10.2134/jeq2003.1939. PMID 14674516.
  13. Dai Nihon Nōkai (1895). "Kochia Scoparia". Useful Plants of Japan Described and Illustrated. Agricultural Society of Japan. p. 80.
  14. Chiba, Machiko (2005). Japanese Dishes for Wine Lovers. Kodansha International. p. 117. ISBN 9784770030030.
  15. This is Japan. Asahi Shinbunsha. 1954. p. 117.
  16. Han LK, Nose R, Li W, et al. (October 2006). "Reduction of fat storage in mice fed a high-fat diet long term by treatment with saponins prepared from Kochia scoparia fruit". Phytotherapy Research. 20 (10): 877–82. doi:10.1002/ptr.1981. PMID 16892459. S2CID 25309137.
  17. Matsuda H, Li Y, Yamahara J, Yoshikawa M (May 1999). "Inhibition of gastric emptying by triterpene saponin, momordin Ic, in mice: roles of blood glucose, capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves, and central nervous system". The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 289 (2): 729–34. PMID 10215646.
  18. Rankins DL, Smith GS, Hallford DM (July 1991). "Serum constituents and metabolic hormones in sheep and cattle fed Kochia scoparia hay". Journal of Animal Science. 69 (7): 2941–6. doi:10.2527/1991.6972941x. PMID 1885403.
  19. Rankins DL, Smith GS, Hallford DM (September 1991). "Effects of metoclopramide on steers fed Kochia scoparia hay". Journal of Animal Science. 69 (9): 3699–705. doi:10.2527/1991.6993699x. PMID 1938652.
  20. Rankins DL, Smith GS, Hallford DM (July 1991). "Altered metabolic hormones, impaired nitrogen retention, and hepatotoxicosis in lambs fed Kochia scoparia hay". Journal of Animal Science. 69 (7): 2932–40. doi:10.2527/1991.6972932x. PMID 1885402.
  21. Cranston, Edwin A. (1993). A Waka Anthology: Grasses of remembrance (2 v.). Stanford University Press. p. 698. ISBN 9780804748254.
  22. "Hero korova metla 2012" (in Serbian). Retrieved 2017-01-16.
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