''Tellima grandiflora'', the bigflower tellima or fringecups, 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 ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the family

Saxifragaceae Saxifragaceae is a family of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous Perennial plant, perennial flowering plants, within the core eudicot Order (biology), order Saxifragales. The Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of the family has been greatly revised and the ...

. It is the only species in the genus ''Tellima''.

Description

It has rounded stalked leaves mostly growing from the base emerging from a rootstock and bluntly toothed reaching heights of 30 cm.Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012. ''Webb's An Irish Flora''. Cork University Press. It is evergreen in mild winters. Flowers are borne in spring and early summer, on spikes, terminal racemes, up to 60 cm high. The green calyx is 6–8 mm long; the five flower petals are greenish-white to purple, pinnately divided and spreading. The petals are deeply fringed. It has 10 stamens and 2 styles.

Distribution

The plant is a native of moist forests in western North America, from

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

and

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...

. It can be a garden escape and become

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

in some other areas, ''e.g.''

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. Although it is secure in the western portions of its range, ''Tellima grandiflora'' is listed as vulnerable in Idaho and Montana, and as critically imperiled in Alberta. Tellima grandiflora 4967f

Uses

It is widely grown in gardens. Different strains have been developed. It seeds itself freely in suitable climates. This plant, crushed and made into an

infusion Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An inf ...

, was used by the Skagit to aid people in sicknesses such as

loss of appetite Anorexia is a medical term for a loss of appetite. While the term outside of the scientific literature is often used interchangeably with anorexia nervosa, many possible causes exist for a loss of appetite, some of which may be harmless, while o ...

Ellagitannin image:Castalagin.svg, 130px, Castalagin is a representative ellagitannin, characterized by coupled gallic acid substituents The ellagitannins are a diverse class of hydrolyzable tannins, a type of polyphenol formed primarily from the oxidative link ...

s are chemical compounds that have potential

antiviral Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used for treating viral infections. Most antivirals target specific viruses, while a broad-spectrum antiviral is effective against a wide range of viruses. Antiviral drugs are a class of antimicrobials ...

activity.

Tellimagrandin II Tellimagrandin II is the first of the ellagitannins formed from 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloyl-glucose. It can be found in '' Geum japonicum'' and '' Syzygium aromaticum'' (clove).Purification and Characterization of Eugeniin as an Anti-herpesvirus Compou ...

, the first of the ellagitannins, formed from

pentagalloyl glucose Pentagalloylglucose, or more specifically 1,2,3,4,6-penta-''O''-galloyl-β-D-glucose, is the pentagallic acid ester of glucose. It is a gallotannin and the precursor of ellagitannins. Pentagalloylglucose can precipitate proteins, including human ...

, is

laccase Laccases () are multicopper oxidases found in plants, fungi, and bacteria. Laccases oxidize a variety of phenolic substrates, performing one-electron oxidations, leading to crosslinking. For example, laccases play a role in the formation of li ...

-catalyzed dimerised to cornusiin E in ''T. grandiflora''.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q13390019, from2=Q847750 Saxifragaceae Monotypic Saxifragaceae genera Flora of Alaska Flora of the Aleutian Islands Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of Idaho Flora of Montana Flora of Oregon Flora of Washington (state) Plants described in 1813