Lithospermum Officinale
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''Lithospermum officinale'', or common gromwell or European stoneseed, is a flowering plant species in the family ''
Boraginaceae Boraginaceae, the Borago, borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees, and herbs in 146 to 154 genus, genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single famil ...
'', native to Eurasia. It is the host plant for
caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...
s of the
monophagous A generalist species is able to thrive in a wide variety of environmental conditions and can make use of a variety of different resources (for example, a heterotroph with a varied diet). A specialist species can thrive only in a narrow range of env ...
moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...
'' Ethmia dodecea''.


Description

Common gromwell is an erect, downy
perennial plant In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...
growing up to 60 – 80 cm tall.Gibbons B, Brough P. 2008. ''Guide to Wildflowers of Britain and Northern Europe''. Philips The unstalked,
lanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...
leaves grow up to 10 cm long and are strongly marked with lateral veins below. The greenish white, funnel-shaped flowers, appearing June – July, measure 3 – 4 mm across and are borne in short, dense
cymose In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a main axis ( p ...
clusters within the leaf
axil A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...
s. When in fruit, the
inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
s form a V-shaped, elongated spray. The fruits comprise 4 shiny white nutlets that measure 3 – 4 mm long and persist well into winter.


Habitat and distribution

The plant is very widely distributed throughout Europe and Asia. It is locally common in the UK, where it is much rarer in the north and west of the country. The favoured habitat includes
grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...
, scrubland, and open woodland, usually on base-rich and calcareous soils.


In culture and human use

All parts of the plant have been traditionally used as a natural medicinal remedy for various ailments. In India for example, the leaves were once used as a
sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or Psychomotor agitation, excitement. They are central nervous system (CNS) Depressant, depressants and interact with brain activity, causing its decelera ...
, while the seeds have been administered as a
diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics ...
, lithotritic,
febrifuge An antipyretic (, from ''anti-'' 'against' and ' 'feverish') is a substance that reduces fever. Antipyretics cause the hypothalamus to override a prostaglandin-induced increase in temperature. The body then works to lower the temperature, which r ...
, anti-gout, anti-ovulary and anti-toxic agent as well as an anti-inflammatory for diseases of the urinary tract and for promoting digestion. A herbal tea made from the root and stem, or a decoction of the roots and twigs was once given in the form of a syrup to remedy
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
and
measles Measles (probably from Middle Dutch or Middle High German ''masel(e)'', meaning "blemish, blood blister") is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by Measles morbillivirus, measles v ...
. The tea also served as an
antipruritic Antipruritics, abirritants, or anti-itch drugs, are medications that inhibit itching (Latin: ''pruritus''). Itching is often associated with sunburns, allergic reactions, eczema, psoriasis, chickenpox, Fungal infection in animals, fungal infections ...
. Archaeological findings from a gravesite in Poland unearthed a plaster
poultice A poultice or cataplasm, also called a fomentation, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is applied to the skin to reduce inflammation, soothe pain, promote healing, or otherwise treat wounds or ailments. Soft materials like cer ...
containing the nutlets of ''L. officinale''. The plant has been found to be a potent natural anti-inflammatory and effective agent for healing burn wounds when applied topically, which explains the presence of this species in the poultice discovered.Amiri ZM, Tanideh N, Seddighi A, Mokhtari M, Amini M, Partovi AS, Manafi A, Hashemi SS, Mehrabani D. 2017. The effect of ''Lithospermum officinale'', silver sulfadiazine and alpha ointments in healing of burn wound injuries in rat. ''World J Plast Surg'' 6(3): 313–318. ''L. officinale'' also appears to have held important cosmetic and ornamental value. For example, the roots were once used for colouring fibres and to produce makeup dye. Elsewhere, the well-preserved, intact fruits were found glued onto two wooden tubs found in the Yanghai Tombs of Xinjiang, China, from about 2,500 years ago.Jiang H-E, Li X, Liu C-J, Wang Y-F, Li C-S. 2007. Fruits of ''Lithospermum officinale'' L. (Boraginaceae) used as an early plant decoration (2,500 years BP) in Xinjiang, China. ''Journal of Archaeological Science'' 34: 167 – 170. These nutlets probably had decorative worth. Their lustrous, porcelain-like appearance as well as their hardness also made them suitable and popular for use as beads in
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
and central Europe as far back as the
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
period.


References


External links

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USDA Plants Profile
{{Authority control officinale Plants described in 1753 Flora of Canada Flora of the United States Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus