''Erysimum crepidifolium'', the pale wallflower, is a plant species in the
crucifer
A crucifer or cross-bearer is, in some Christian churches (particularly the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Lutherans, and United Methodist Church), a person appointed to carry the church's processional cross, a cross or crucifix with ...
family,
Brassicaceae. It is a member of the genus ''
Erysimum
''Erysimum'', or wallflower, is a genus of flowering plants in the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. It includes more than 150 species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. The genus ''Cheiranthus'' is sometimes included here in whole o ...
'', which includes between 150 and 350 species in the Northern Hemisphere.
Description
''Erysimum crepidifolium'' is an annual to short-lived perennial herbaceous plant that has upright stems, reaching a height of up to 60 cm. The leaves are hirsute, with margins ranging from dentate to entire.
Flowering occurs primarily from April until July. More rarely, ''E. crepidifolium'' plants also produce flowers in the fall.The odorless flowers are relatively large, reaching lengths of 9 to 15 mm. The four petals have a pale yellow color. There are six anthers. The 20 to 70 mm seed pods are gray-green, four-sided with rounded corners, and have 3 to 5 mm stems.
The species has a 2n = 14 chromosome number.
Similar species
''E. crepidifolium'' is most easily confused with ''
Erysimum odoratum
''Erysimum odoratum'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the ...
'' Ehrh. (syn. ''Erysimum hieraciifolium'' L.),
and with ''Erysimum marschallianum'' Andrz. ex DC. (''E. marschallianum'', itself, is cited by Malyschev and Peschkova as ''E. hieraciifolium'') The latter, ''E. marschallianum'', is differentiated primarily by the shape of the
trichome
Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pla ...
s.
Occurrence
''Erysimum crepidifolium'' grows in dry meadows, preferring warm, rocky soils.
The species occurs naturally from the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
and
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 re ...
to southern and central
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. However, it is uncommon in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, where it is found most frequently in the middle
Saale
The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Fränkische Saale, ...
and
Nahe river valleys. Other reported sites are in northern
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
and southwestern Germany. It is not native in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
or
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
Chemical toxicity
Like most members of the genus ''
Erysimum
''Erysimum'', or wallflower, is a genus of flowering plants in the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. It includes more than 150 species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. The genus ''Cheiranthus'' is sometimes included here in whole o ...
'', ''E. crepidifolium'' contains both
cardiac glycosides (
cardenolides),
and
glucosinolate
Glucosinolates are natural components of many pungent plants such as mustard, cabbage, and horseradish. The pungency of those plants is due to mustard oils produced from glucosinolates when the plant material is chewed, cut, or otherwise damaged. T ...
s.
All parts of ''E. crepidifolium'' are toxic due to their
cardenolide content. There are at least 20 different cardenolides in the seeds, making up ~3.5% of the total mass. Among these, the most common are erysimoside (~2.3%) and its deglycosylated form helveticoside (0.5–1.2%).
The highest concentrations of erysimoside and helveticoside are found during ripening and in drying seeds.
Among 48 tested ''
Erysimum
''Erysimum'', or wallflower, is a genus of flowering plants in the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. It includes more than 150 species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. The genus ''Cheiranthus'' is sometimes included here in whole o ...
'' species'','' ''E. crepidifolium'' had the highest
cardenolide content in the leaves, at least three-fold higher than any of the other species.
Toxicity in humans has not been reported, though mass die-offs of
geese are known. Consumption of ''E. crepidifolium'' by geese leads to muscle paralysis from which the animals eventually die (hence the German common name "Gänsesterbe“, or geese death, for this species).
Rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
s are also considered susceptible, but
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
s are reportedly resistant to ''E. crepidifolium'' toxicity.
Molecular biology
Due to its close phylogenetic relationship with the well-studied model plant species ''
Arabidopsis thaliana
''Arabidopsis thaliana'', the thale cress, mouse-ear cress or arabidopsis, is a small flowering plant native to Eurasia and Africa. ''A. thaliana'' is considered a weed; it is found along the shoulders of roads and in disturbed land.
A winter a ...
, E. crepidifolium'' has been proposed as a suitable system for investigating the
cardenolide biosynthetic pathway.
Progesterone
Progesterone (P4) is an endogenous steroid and progestogen sex hormone involved in the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and embryogenesis of humans and other species. It belongs to a group of steroid hormones called the progestogens and is the m ...
5β-reductase, which was initially proposed as an enzyme of cardenolide biosynthesis in ''
Digitalis,'' also has been cloned from ''E. crepidifolium.
'' However, the natural substrate of this ''E. crepidifolium'' enzyme has not yet been identified. 3β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases represent another enzyme class that is predicted to be involved in
cardenolide biosynthesis. Comparison to ''
A. thaliana
''Arabidopsis thaliana'', the thale cress, mouse-ear cress or arabidopsis, is a small flowering plant native to Eurasia and Africa. ''A. thaliana'' is considered a weed; it is found along the shoulders of roads and in disturbed land.
A winter a ...
'' genes identified three predicted 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases in ''E. crepidifolium'' (''EcHSD1,'' ''EcHSD2'', and ''EcHSD3''). ''In vitro'' assays showed that all three enzymes catalyze the dehydrogenation of
pregnenolone
Pregnenolone (P5), or pregn-5-en-3β-ol-20-one, is an endogenous steroid and precursor/ metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of most of the steroid hormones, including the progestogens, androgens, estrogens, glucocorticoids, and mineraloc ...
and the 3-reduction of 5-α/β-pregnane-3,20-dione. Whereas ''EcHSD1'' expression was not induced by tested stress conditions, ''EcHSD2'' expression was
upregulated by osmotic stress, and ''EcHSD3'' expression was upregulated by both osmotic stress and treatment with
methyl jasmonate
Methyl jasmonate (abbreviated MeJA) is a volatile organic compound used in plant defense and many diverse developmental pathways such as seed germination, root growth, flowering, fruit ripening, and senescence. Methyl jasmonate is derived from j ...
, an endogenous elicitor of chemical defenses in many plant species.
Successful propagation of ''E. crepidifolium'' as shoot cultures allows the production of uniform plant material for ''in vitro'' assays.
Expression of two progesterone 5β-reductase and three 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase genes was detected in shoot cultures.
Notes
References
[Bleicher Schöterich (''Erysimum crepidifolium''). In: giftpflanzen.com.](_blank)
/ref>
[ ''Erysimum crepidifolium.''In]
''Info Flora (Das nationale Daten- und Informationszentrum der Schweizer Flora).''
Erich Oberdorfer
Erich Oberdorfer (born 26 March 1905 in Freiburg; died 23 September 2002) was a German biologist specializing in phytosociology and phytogeography. His official botanical author abbreviation is “Oberd."
Early life and education
Oberdorfer wa ...
: ''Pflanzensoziologische Exkursionsflora für Deutschland und angrenzende Gebiete''. 8. Auflage. Stuttgart, Verlag Eugen Ulmer, 2001.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q160377
crepidifolium
Taxa named by Ludwig Reichenbach