''Apocynum venetum'', commonly known as sword-leaf dogbane, is a plant species in the

dogbane family 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 t ...

, poisonous but used as a source of fiber, medicine, and nectar for production of honey.

Distribution and habitat

''Apocynum venetum'' is considered to be native to a wide range in northern

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 SE

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 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

, Ex/Yugoslavia,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part o ...

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the former ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

, China, and Japan. It grows in swamps, wet places, and maritime sands.

Uses

''Apocynum venetum'' fibers can be extracted from the ''A. venetum'' bast; these fibers possess the luster of

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

, smoothness of

ramie Ramie (pronounced: , ; from Malay ) is a flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to eastern Asia. It is a herbaceous perennial growing to tall;

, malleability of cashmere, and the softness of

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor p ...

. ''Apocynum venetum'' leaves have been used in the traditional medicine for hypertension treatment.Waltenberger B, Mocan A, Šmejkal K, Heiss EH, Atanasov AG
Natural Products to Counteract the Epidemic of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders.
Molecules. 2016 Jun 22;21(6)
doi: 10.3390/molecules21060807 E807
Review. ; .

Subspecies

Subspecies include: # ''Apocynum venetum'' subsp. ''armenum'' (Pobed.) ined. - Turkey, Iran, Caucasus # ''Apocynum venetum'' subsp. ''basikurumon'' (H.Hara) ined. - Japan # ''Apocynum venetum'' subsp. ''lancifolium'' (Russanov) ined. - Siberia, China (including Tibet + Xinjiang), Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan # ''Apocynum venetum'' subsp. ''russanovii'' (Pobed.) ined. - Ostriv Dzharylhach Peninsula in Ukraine # ''Apocynum venetum'' subsp. ''sarmatiense'' (Woodson) ined. - Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Caucasus # ''Apocynum venetum'' subsp. ''scabrum'' (Russanov) ined. - Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan # ''Apocynum venetum'' subsp. ''tauricum'' (Pobed.) ined. - Cape St. Ilya in Crimea # ''Apocynum venetum'' subsp. ''venetum'' - Italy

References

External links

ITIS Standard Report for ''Apocynum cannabinum''Jepson Manual Treatment of ''Apocynum cannabinum''
— ''invasive plant species in California''. {{Taxonbar, from=Q9359004 Apocyneae Flora of Southeastern Europe Flora of Central Asia Flora of Western Asia Flora of temperate Asia Flora of China Flora of Japan Flora of Mongolia Flora of Pakistan Flora of Russia Flora of the Caucasus Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Fiber plants Butterfly food plants