Rubia peregrina

Rubia peregrina, the common wild madder,[1] is a herbaceous perennial plant species belonging to the bedstraw and coffee family Rubiaceae.

Rubia peregrina
Flowers of Rubia peregrina
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Rubia
Species:
R. peregrina
Binomial name
Rubia peregrina

Etymology

The genus name Rubia derives from the Latin ruber meaning "red", as the roots of some species (mainly Rubia tinctorum) have been used since ancient times as a vegetable red dye. The specific epithet is the Latin adjective peregrinus, -a, -um meaning "foreign, alien, exotic, strange."

Description

The stem is woody, hairless, square and climbing and reaches on average 50–250 centimetres (20–98 in) long.[2] The evergreen leaves are sessile, glossy, leathery, oval-lanceolate and toothed on the margins. They are arranged in whorls, usually with five or more leaves radiating from a single node. The small flowers have five petals and are pale green-yellowish, about 5–7 mm in diameter,[2] arranged at the top of long stalks. The flowering period extends from April through June.[2] The hermaphroditic flowers are pollinated by insects (entomogamy). The fruits are fleshy green berries, black when ripe, about 5 mm (0.20 in) in diameter.[2]

Distribution

It is mainly present in Mediterranean Europe (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and former Yugoslavia), in Great Britain and in North Africa.[2]

Habitat

This stress resistant weed is typical of Mediterranean scrub. It grows in thickets, bushes, hedges, stony grounds and along the roads and paths. It prefers dry soils, at an altitude of 0–1,000 metres (0–3,281 ft) above sea level.[2]

  • Plant of Rubia peregrina
    Plant of Rubia peregrina
  • Plant of Rubia peregrina
    Plant of Rubia peregrina
  • Close-up on a flowers of Rubia peregrina
    Close-up on a flowers of Rubia peregrina
  • Fruits of Rubia peregrina
    Fruits of Rubia peregrina
  • Ripe fruits of Rubia peregrina
    Ripe fruits of Rubia peregrina
  • Leaves of Rubia peregrina
    Leaves of Rubia peregrina

Synonyms
  • Rubia anglica Huds. (1762)
  • Rubia angustifolia L. (1767)
  • Rubia lucida L. (1767)
  • Rubia bocconii Petagna (1787)
  • Rubia longifolia Poir.
  • Rubia splendens Hoffmanns. & Link (1824)
  • Rubia requienii Duby (1830)
  • Rubia dalmatica Scheele (1844)
  • Rubia angustifolia var. requienii (Duby) Nyman (1879)
  • Rubia peregrina var. dalmatica (Scheele) Nyman (1879)
  • Rubia peregrina var. lucida (L.) Nyman (1879)
  • Rubia peregrina var. splendens (Hoffmanns. & Link) Nyman (1879)
  • Rubia erratica Bubani (1899)
  • Rubia reiseri Halácsy ex Hayek (1930)
  • Rubia peregrina subsp. longifolia (Poir.) O.Bolòs (1969)
  • Rubia peregrina var. requienii (Duby) Cardona (1974)
  • Rubia peregrina subsp. requienii (Duby) Cardona & Sierra (1980)
  • Rubia agostinhoi Dans. et Silva
  • Rubia peregrina subsp. agostinhoi (Dans. et Silva) Valdés et G.López[3][4]

References
  1. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982. Vol. II, pag. 379
  3. Anthos
  4. Kew Gardens

Further reading
  • Potts, Daniel T. (2022). "On the history of madder (Rubia peregrina L., and Rubia tinctorum L.) in pre-modern Iran and the Caucasus". Asiatische Studien - Études Asiatiques. doi:10.1515/asia-2021-0039.
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