Triosteum
Encyclopedia
Triosteum, commonly known as horse gentian or, less commonly, feverwort, is a genus
of flowering plant
which includes six species. It is in the Caprifoliaceae
family. A genus of six species total, it has three species native to North America
, and three more in China
and Japan
.
These are perennial, herbaceous plants of rich woods. Each plant typically consists of at least one erect, round, hairy, fistular stem, 1 to 4 feet (0.3 to 1.2m) high, with opposite ovate-lanceolate entire leaves, and whitish to purplish flowers presented either in axillary whorls
or terminal raceme
s. The fruits may be white, yellow, orange, or red, depending on the species. The dried and roasted berries have been occasionally used as a substitute for coffee; but it is chiefly valued for its medicinal properties. The roots of the American species have been used as an emetic and mild cathartic
. It is sometimes called Tinker's root, after Dr. Tinker, who first brought it to notice.
Native to China:
Native to Japan:
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
which includes six species. It is in the Caprifoliaceae
Caprifoliaceae
The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade consisting of about 800 dicotyledonous flowering plants, with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution; centres of diversity are found in eastern North America and eastern Asia, while they are absent in tropical and southern Africa.They are mostly...
family. A genus of six species total, it has three species native to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and three more in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
These are perennial, herbaceous plants of rich woods. Each plant typically consists of at least one erect, round, hairy, fistular stem, 1 to 4 feet (0.3 to 1.2m) high, with opposite ovate-lanceolate entire leaves, and whitish to purplish flowers presented either in axillary whorls
Whorl (botany)
In botany, a whorl is an arrangement of sepals, petals, leaves, or branches in which all the parts are attached at the same point and surround or wrap around the stem.There are four whorls in a general flower...
or terminal raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s. The fruits may be white, yellow, orange, or red, depending on the species. The dried and roasted berries have been occasionally used as a substitute for coffee; but it is chiefly valued for its medicinal properties. The roots of the American species have been used as an emetic and mild cathartic
Cathartic
In medicine, a cathartic is a substance that accelerates defecation. This is in contrast to a laxative, which is a substance which eases defecation, usually by softening feces. It is possible for a substance to be both a laxative and a cathartic...
. It is sometimes called Tinker's root, after Dr. Tinker, who first brought it to notice.
List of species
Native to the eastern United States:- T. aurantiacum - orangefruit horse-gentian
- T. angustifoliumTriosteum angustifoliumTriosteum angustifolium, commonly known as yellow horse gentian , is a species of flowering plant of the Caprifoliaceae family. It is found Eastern North America, primarily in Limestone regions....
- yellowfruit horse-gentian - T. perfoliatum - feverwort
Native to China:
- T. himalayanum
- T. pinnatifidum
Native to Japan:
- T. sinuatum
External links
- Tinker's root
- http://www.ipni.org/ipni/advPlantNameSearch.do;jsessionid=FFFB37A430E6C4777F63157653FE8ADA?navig=Show+%3A&chunk_size=200&start_row=0&find_infragenus=&find_geoUnit=&find_includePublicationAuthors=%24unicodeutil.stripAccents%28%24value%29&find_addedSince=&find_family=&find_genus=Triosteum&find_sortByFamily=%24unicodeutil.stripAccents%28%24value%29&find_infrafamily=&find_rankToReturn=all&find_publicationTitle=&find_authorAbbrev=&find_infraspecies=&find_includeBasionymAuthors=%24unicodeutil.stripAccents%28%24value%29&find_modifiedSince=&find_species=&output_format=normalIPNI]
- UW Herbarium entries
- PLANTS