Sanguisorba

Sanguisorba
Flower head of Sanguisorba minor
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Subfamily: Rosoideae
Tribe: Sanguisorbeae
Subtribe: Sanguisorbinae
Genus: Sanguisorba
L.
Species

See text.

Synonyms
  • Poterium L.
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Sanguisorba is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The common name is burnet.

Description

The plants are perennial herbs or small shrubs. The stems grow to 50–200 cm tall and have a cluster of basal leaves, with further leaves arranged alternately up the stem. The leaves are pinnate, 5–30 cm long, with 7-25 leaflets, the leaflets with a serrated margin. Young leaves grow from the crown in the center of the plant. The flowers are small, produced in dense clusters 5–20 mm long; each flower has four very small petals, white to red in colour.

Species

There are about 30 species, including:[1][2]

Ecology

Sanguisorba minor is a food plant for the larvae of the grizzled skipper (Pyrgus malvae) and the mouse moth (Amphipyra tragopoginis).

Cultivation and uses

Burnets are cultivated as garden plants. Many cultivars have been bred, especially from S. officinalis. S. canadensis is grown for its white flowers on stems that well exceed a meter tall. The plants hybridize easily, producing new mixes.[3] S. obtusa is valued for its foliage of pink-edged, gray-green leaves.[4]

S. officinalis is used medicinally in Asia to treat gastrointestinal conditions and bleeding.[5]

References

  1. Sanguisorba. Flora of China.
  2. GRIN Species Records of Sanguisorba. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
  3. Sutton, J. Sanguisorba in Cultivation. The Plantsman. Royal Horticultural Society. June, 2007. 78-83.
  4. Bourne, V. How to grow: Sanguisorba. The Daily Telegraph September 21, 2002.
  5. Choi, J., et al. (2012). ZYM-201 sodium succinate ameliorates streptozotocin-induced hyperlipidemic conditions. Planta Medica 78(1) 12-17.


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