''Apocynum'', commonly known as dogbane
or Indian hemp,
is a small
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of the flowering plant family
Apocynaceae
Apocynaceae (from ''Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison Members of the ...
. Its name comes from
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...
, from "away" and "dog", referring to dogbane (''
Cionura erecta
''Cionura'' is a genus of perennial plants found through the Mediterranean regions, the South and Eastern parts of the Balkan peninsula and Asia Minor to Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, ام ...
''), which was used to poison dogs. The genus is native to
North America, temperate
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...
, and southeastern
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
.
''Apocynum'' species are used as food plants by the
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
Th ...
e of some
Lepidoptera species, including the
mouse moth and the
queen butterfly
The queen butterfly (''Danaus gilippus'') is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae with a wingspan of . It is orange or brown with black wing borders and small white forewing spots on its dorsal wing surface, and redd ...
.
Uses
''
Apocynum cannabinum'' was used as a source of fiber by
Native Americans. ''
Apocynum venetum'' () is used as an
herbal tea
Herbal teas, also known as herbal infusions and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Oftentimes herb tea, or the plain term ...
in
China. Dogbane contains
cymarin
Cymarin (or cymarine) is a cardiac glycoside. Plants of the genus '' Apocynum'', including '' Apocynum cannabinum'' and ''Apocynum venetum'', contain cymarin. Cymarin is a cardiac glycoside and an anti-arrhythmia and cardiotonic A cardiac stimu ...
, a
cardiotonic agent formerly used to treat
cardiac arrhythmia
Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, heart arrhythmias, or dysrhythmias, are irregularities in the Cardiac cycle, heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beats per mi ...
in humans.
National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Cymarine
/ref>
Species
Almost 300 names have been proposed in the genus for species, subspecies, and forms.[
* '' Apocynum androsaemifolium'' L. – Canada, United States, northeastern Mexico
* '' Apocynum cannabinum'' L. – Canada, United States
* '' Apocynum × floribundum'' Greene (a hybrid of ''A. androsaemifolium'' and ''A. cannabinum'') – Canada, United States, northern Mexico
* '' Apocynum pictum'' Schrenk – China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
* '' Apocynum venetum'' L. – southeastern Europe and Asia
]
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q133242
Apocyneae
Apocynaceae genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus