Andersonglossum virginianum

Andersonglossum virginianum, known as southern wild comfrey,[1] is a flowering plant in the borage family native to North America.[2][3] It is also sometimes called blue houndstongue.

Andersonglossum virginianum

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Boraginales
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Andersonglossum
Species:
A. virginianum
Binomial name
Andersonglossum virginianum
(L.) J.I.Cohen

Formerly placed in the genus Cynoglossum, it was transferred to the genus Andersonglossum in 2015.[4]

Distribution

Andersonglossum virginianum is native to the Eastern United States.[1][3] It densely populates the central and southeastern parts of the U.S. and is often found in open uplands, such as in southern New England, from New York to Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and from the south to Florida.[3] A closely related species, Andersonglossum boreale is disappearing from the southern part of its range in the United States.[5]

Description

Andersonglossum virginianum is an erect, unbranched perennial with rough fine hair on its leaves and stem. Their leaves are simple, entire, and have an alternate pattern. The leaves are denser at the lower end of the stem and they get smaller going up the stem. It has two to six racemes. The flowers have five deep lobes that are connected to a superior ovary which in turn is connected to the style. The flowers have rounded, light blue corollas that overlap each other. The corollas alternate with stamen with anthers.

Unlike A. virginianum, Andersonglossum boreale has petioles on its cauline leaves and its corolla lobes are not rounded and do not overlap. It, in general, is a smaller plant.[5][6]

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids, hepatoxins capable of affecting grazing animals and humans, are synthesized by many borages including Andersonglossum officinale. Presumably this provides some protection against generalist herbivores.[7] Botanists suspect that C. virginianum may also contain some of these alkaloids.[5][7]

Leaves
  • 10–20 cm long
  • 2.5–7 cm wide
  • Alternate
  • Simple
  • Entire
  • Not margined
  • Leaves get smaller going up the branch, towards the apical meristem[5][6][8]

Reproduction

Andersonglossum virginianum forms above-ground foliage from a taproot every spring around May. Plants that do not flower grow more leaves in a rosette. The flowering stem grows from the center of the rosette. It is a monoecious plant which is self-compatible. It flowers from May to June and produces fruits from July to August. The flowers produce four grayish brown seeds that adhere to animals.[5][9]

Flowers
  • Flower size: 8–12 mm
  • Flower color: Pale blue
  • Pistil: superior ovary, deeply lobed into four parts.
  • Corolla: 5-8mm wide, light blue, sympetalous, short tube, lobes oblong and do not overlap.
  • Calyx: 1–3 mm
Fruit
  • 1-4 nutlets per flower
  • 3.5-5mm each with one seed
  • prickly
  • convex surface
  • protruding horizontally
  • no margin[5][9]

Medicinal uses

Herbalists from the nineteenth-century have suggested that A. virginianum may possibly be a replacement or a substitute for Symphytum officinale (also known as comfrey). For a long time, A. virginianum has been used to help treat wounds and to flush out any internal digestive disorders and respiratory infections. It also acts as a sedative medication.

Because of one of the active substances in the plant, large doses of it should not be taken because it can cause liver problems.[10]

References
  1. Weakley, Alan S. (2020), Flora of the Southeastern United States, University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  2. "Andersonglossum virginianum (L.) J.I.Cohen". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  3. "USDA: Cynoglossum virginianum distribution map".
  4. "Andersonglossum virginianum (L.) J.I.Cohen". ipni.org. International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  5. "Conservation Assessment for Northern Wild Comfrey (Cynoglossum virginianum var. boreale (Fern.)Cooperrider)" (PDF). USDA Forest Service, Eastern Region. July 2005.
  6. A.Gleason, Henry (1963). Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. New York: D. Van Nostrand Company, INC. p. 576.
  7. Shen, X; Bourg, NA; McShea, WJ; Turner, BL (March 28, 2016). "Long-Term Effects of White-Tailed Deer Exclusion on the Invasion of Exotic Plants: A Case Study in a Mid-Atlantic Temperate Forest". PLOS ONE. 11 (c): e0151825. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1151825S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0151825. PMC 4809546. PMID 27019356.
  8. Britton, Nathaniel (1970). An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. New York: Dover Publications, INC. pp. 76. ISBN 9780486226422.
  9. D.Cox, Donald (1985). Common Flowering Plants of the Northeast. Albany: State University of New York. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-87395-889-9.
  10. "2bnthewild.com: Wild Comfrey (Cynoglossum virginianum)". Retrieved 6 July 2012.
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