''Eomecon'' is a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

of flowering plants in the poppy family containing the single species ''Eomecon chionantha''. Its common names include snow-poppy and dawn-poppy. It is native to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. This

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

produces

stolon In biology, a stolon ( from Latin ''wikt:stolo, stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as a runner, is a horizontal connection between parts of an organism. It may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton. Typically, animal ...

s from its branching

rootstock A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted. It can refer to ...

, spreading to form patches on the ground. Its roots are orange. The leaves are all basal, borne on bluish petioles up to 30 centimeters long. The leaf blades are heart-shaped or kidney-shaped, with wavy, scalloped edges. They are greenish, sometimes with a purple tinge on the undersides. They are up to 26 centimeters long by 20 wide. The scape is blue-gray with a

mauve Mauve ( ; ) is a pale purple color named after the mallow flower (French: ). The first use of the word ''mauve'' as a color was in 1796–1798 according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', but its use seems to have been rare before 1859. ...

tint. It grows up to 40 centimeters tall and bears 3 to 5 flowers. The flower bud is about a centimeter long and pointed. The open flower has two membranous

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s that join to form a

spathe In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also look ...

. The four white petals are up to 2.5 centimeters long and are arranged in two layers. At the center of the flower are over 70

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s with yellow anthers. The fruit is a capsule about 2 centimeters long. Extracts of this plant have been effective at eliminating the

freshwater snail Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks that live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs t ...

Oncomelania hupensis ''Oncomelania hupensis'' is a species of very small tropical freshwater snail, an aquatic animal, aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Pomatiopsidae. Distribution ''Oncomelania hupensis'' has been found in List of non-marine molluscs of Chi ...

'', the

intermediate host In biology and medicine, a host is a larger organism that harbours a smaller organism; whether a parasitic, a mutualistic, or a commensalist ''guest'' (symbiont). The guest is typically provided with nourishment and shelter. Examples include ...

of '' Schistosoma japonicum'', a fluke that causes

schistosomiasis Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever is a neglected tropical helminthiasis, disease caused by parasitism, parasitic Schistosoma, flatworms called schistosomes. It affects both humans and animals. It affects ...

. The

molluscicidal Molluscicides () are chemicals that kill molluscs. They are also known as snail baits, snail pellets, or slug pellets. These pesticides against molluscs are usually used in agriculture or gardening, in order to control gastropod pests specificall ...

compounds in the plant are

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

Chemical composition

It contains the toxic alkaloid

sanguinarine Sanguinarine is a polycyclic quaternary alkaloid. It is extracted from some plants, including the bloodroot plant, from whose scientific name, ''Sanguinaria canadensis,'' its name is derived; the Mexican prickly poppy (''Argemone mexicana''); ''C ...

. Other alkaloids include

chelerythrine Chelerythrine is a benzophenanthridine alkaloid present in the plant '' Chelidonium majus'' (greater celandine). It is a potent, selective, and cell-permeable protein kinase C inhibitor ''in vitro''. And an efficacious antagonist of G-protein-co ...

protopine Protopine is an alkaloid occurring in opium poppy, ''Corydalis'' tubers and other plants of the family papaveraceae, like ''Fumaria officinalis''. Protopine is metabolically derived from the Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, benzylisoquinoline alkaloi ...

and alpha-allocryptopine.

References

Monotypic Papaveraceae genera Papaveroideae Endemic flora of China Taxa named by Henry Fletcher Hance {{Papaveraceae-stub