''Pimpinella major'', common name greater burnet-saxifrage or hollowstem burnet saxifrage, is a

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

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 ...

plant in the genus ''

Pimpinella ''Pimpinella'' is a plant genus in the family Apiaceae; it includes the aromatic herb anise ''( P. anisum)''.Apiaceae Apiaceae () or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium,'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot, or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering p ...

Description

''Pimpinella major'' reaches on average in height. The stem is hollow, deeply grooved, mostly glabrous, and generally branched and leafy. The leaves are dark green, slightly glossy, ovate or oblong, short-stalked, feathery, more or less deeply cut, and usually pointed. Basal leaves have a petiole long. The inflorescence has a diameter of . The flowers, usually hermaphrodite, range from white to glowing rose or soft-pink and are gathered in umbels with 11 to 16 stalks. The flowering period extends from June to August in its native habitat. The fruits are ovoid, long.

Subspecies

*''Pimpinella major'' (L.) Huds. var. ''rubra'' Hoppe. ex Mérat Also known as big red burnet, it is characterized by low growth and intense rose-colored petals. The stem is usually branched at the base, the branches are short and generally carry only one

umbel UMBEL (Upper Mapping and Binding Exchange Layer) is a logically organized knowledge graph of 34,000 concepts and entity types that can be used in information science for relating information from disparate sources to one another. It was retired ...

. * ''Pimpinella major'' var. ''rosea'' Lindeman * ''Pimpinella major'' var. ''macrodonta'' (Pau) O. Bolòs & Vigo * ''Pimpinella major'' var. ''orientalis'' (Gouam) Fi. et Paol. * ''Pimpinella major'' var. ''dissecta'' (Sprengel) Fi. et Paol. * ''Pimpinella major'' var. ''bipinnata'' G. Beck

Distribution

''Pimpinella major'' is widespread in central Europe and in the Caucasus and it is naturalized in North America.

Habitat

It grows in burned forests, clearings, herb-rich areas, meadows, waysides, and wooded pastures. It prefers nutrient-rich substrate and chalk and limestone soils, at an altitude of above sea level.

Uses

The roots of ''Pimpinella major'' have been used internally in Austrian

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

- as a

tisane Herbal teas, technically 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. Often herb tea, or the plain ...

, in milk, or in

herbal liqueur A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged, beyon ...

s - for the treatment of disorders of the respiratory tract,

fever Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...

, infections,

colds The common cold, or the cold, is a virus, viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract that primarily affects the Respiratory epithelium, respiratory mucosa of the human nose, nose, throat, Paranasal sinuses, sinuses, and larynx. ...

, and

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

Gallery

File:Apiaceae - Pimpinella major-3.JPG, Close-up of flowers of ''P. major'' File:Pimpinella major ssp rubra eF.jpg, Plant of ''Pimpinella major'' ssp. ''rubra'' File:Pimpinella major Sturm11.jpg, Figure from ''Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen'', 1796 File:Pimpinella major Herbar.jpg, ''P. major'' from a herbarium File:Apiaceae - Pimpinella major.JPG, Close-up of inflorescence of ''P. major'' File:Apiaceae - Pimpinella major-2.JPG, Leaves of ''P. major''

References

* Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia - Edagricole – 1982 – Vil. II, pag. 190 * Tutin, T.G. et al. - Flora Europaea, second edition - 1993

External links

Biolib

Flores Alpes

Acta plantarum

Pimpinella major

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Apiaceae-stub