''Tofieldia'' is a small genus of flowering plants described as a genus in 1778. It is widespread across much of Europe, Asia, and North America. ''Tofieldia'' was once placed in the lily family, but is now generally included in the newer family

Tofieldiaceae Tofieldiaceae is a family of flowering plants in the monocot order Alismatales.Vernon H. Heywood, Richard K. Brummitt, Ole Seberg, and Alastair Culham. ''Flowering Plant Families of the World''. Firefly Books: Ontario, Canada. (2007). . The famil ...

. The genus sometimes includes species of genus '' Triantha''. ''Tofieldia'' are

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

perennial herbs with spikes or

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...

s of lily-like flowers. The name ''Tofieldia'' commemorates the British botanist

Thomas Tofield Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

Description

Green glabrous perennials from short creeping rhizomes; leaves mostly radical, 2-ranked, laterally flattened, linear; scapes slender, few-leaved or naked; racemes sometimes spikelike, the flowers small, on short pedicels, in axils of bracts, solitary or in 3’s, bracteolate; tepals 6, persistent, linear-oblong to oblanceolate, white, greenish, or brownish red; stamens 6, the filaments linear-subulate, the anthers ovate, introrse, 2-locular; ovary superior, sessile, ovoid, 3-lobed at apex, the ovules numerous; styles short, the stigma introrse; capsules septicidal, 3-locular, the seeds small, narrowly oblong, caudate at one end or without appendage. About 20 species, in the temperate and northern regions of the N. Hemisphere. ;Species * '' Tofieldia calyculata'' (L.) Wahlenb. ("German Asphodel") - much of Europe from Spain to Ukraine * '' Tofieldia cernua'' Sm. -

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

* '' Tofieldia coccinea'' Richardson - Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan, Korea, Alaska, Canada * '' Tofieldia divergens'' Bureau & Franch. - China (

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

) * '' Tofieldia furusei'' (Hiyama) M.N.Tamura & Fuse -

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

* '' Tofieldia glabra'' Nutt. -

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

* '' Tofieldia himalaica'' Baker - Nepal,

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and India declared it as a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is its capital and la ...

* ''

Tofieldia × hybrida ''Tofieldia'' is a small genus of flowering plants described as a genus in 1778. It is widespread across much of Europe, Asia, and North America. ''Tofieldia'' was once placed in the lily family, but is now generally included in the newer famil ...

'' A.Kern. ex Asch. & Graebn. - Austrian and Italian

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

* '' Tofieldia nuda'' Maxim. -

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

* '' Tofieldia okuboi'' Makino - Japan, Kuril Islands * ''

Tofieldia pusilla ''Tofieldia pusilla'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Tofieldiaceae. It is also sometimes placed in the lily family, Liliaceae. Its common name is Scottish asphodel in Europe, and Scotch false asphodel in North America. The plant is ...

'' (Michx.) Pers. ("Scottish Asphodel") -

Subarctic The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of hemiboreal regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Fennoscandia, Northwestern Russia, Siberia, and the Cair ...

Subalpine Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

Europe, Asia and North America * '' Tofieldia thibetica'' Franch. -

* '' Tofieldia yoshiiana'' Makino - Korea, Japan

Use in systems of traditional medicine

At least three species of Tofieldia have been used in

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 ...

: *''T. pusilla'' was used in Scotland to treat a variety of ailments, including skin conditions, respiratory problems, and digestive issues. The plant's roots have been used to make a tea believed to have a soothing effect on the stomach and intestines.Wild Flower Web http://www.wildflowerweb.co.uk/plant/2386/scottish-asphodel Retrieved at 11.04 on Monday 8/1/24. *''T. thibetica'' is one of the frequently-used ingredients in poly-herbal alcoholic extracts used

topically A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes ...

to treat

herpes Herpes simplex, often known simply as herpes, is a viral infection caused by the herpes simplex virus. Herpes infections are categorized by the area of the body that is infected. The two major types of herpes are oral herpes and genital herp ...

shingles Shingles, also known as herpes zoster or zona, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area. Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide mark either on the left or right side of the body or face. T ...

wound A wound is any disruption of or damage to living tissue, such as skin, mucous membranes, or organs. Wounds can either be the sudden result of direct trauma (mechanical, thermal, chemical), or can develop slowly over time due to underlying diseas ...

s, and

snake bite A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may ...

s. by the Naxi people of the

Hengduan Mountains The Hengduan Mountains () are a group of mountain ranges in southwest China, southwest China that connect the southeast portions of the Tibetan Plateau with the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau. The Hengduan Mountains are primarily large north-south ...

of Northwestern

. This species has also been recorded (under the older synonym of ''T. iridacea'' Franch.) as one the medicinal plants of

Mount Emei Mount Emei (; zh, c=峨眉山, p=Éméi shān, O2-mei2 shan1), alternatively Mount Omei, is a mountain in Sichuan Province, China, and is the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China. Mount Emei sits at the western rim of th ...

(in

) : a decoction of the plant has been used locally as an

emmenagogue Emmenagogues (also spelled ''emmenagogs'') are herbs which stimulate blood flow in the pelvic area and uterus; some stimulate menstruation. Women may use emmenagogues to stimulate menstrual flow when menstruation is absent for reasons other than pr ...

and a remedy for

leukorrhea Leukorrhea or (leucorrhoea British English), also known as fluor albus, is a thick, whitish, yellowish or greenish vaginal discharge. It has also been referred to as "the whites". There are many causes of leukorrhea, the usual one being estrogen ...

, although it is not used in mainstream Chinese medicine.

Use in folk magic

In Scotland, the species ''T. pusilla'' (under the honorific common name of "King's Knot") was formerly believed to have

apotropaic Apotropaic magic (From ) or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye. Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out of superstition or out of tr ...

powers. For this reason, it was often deliberately planted near homes and farms to ward off

evil spirits A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in media including fiction, comics, film, t ...

and bring

good luck Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to ran ...

Ornamental use

The European ''T. calyculata'' and the American species formerly known as ''T. racemosa'' (now correctly known as '' Triantha racemosa'') have both occasionally been cultivated as ornamentals, while ''T. pusilla'' has been deemed too small and easily overlooked to have any garden value.

Toxicity when raw

The acridity and potential toxicity of Tofieldia spp., when raw, may be accounted for by the fact that the genus, like other basal monocots (including, most notably, the related plant family

Araceae The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe (or leaf-like bract). Also ...

) contains

calcium oxalate Calcium oxalate (in archaic terminology, oxalate of lime) is a calcium salt of oxalic acid with the chemical formula or . It forms hydrates , where ''n'' varies from 1 to 3. Anhydrous and all hydrated forms are colorless or white. The monohydr ...

crystals, present, in the case of Tofieldia, arranged in

druses The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

and as cuboidal crystals, rather than the

raphides Raphides ( ; singular ''raphide'' or ''raphis'') are needle-shaped crystals of calcium oxalate monohydrate (prismatic monoclinic crystals) or calcium carbonate as aragonite ( dipyramidal orthorhombic crystals), found in more than 200 families o ...

more usual in the Araceae. In this connection, it may be noted that the species ''T. pusilla'', when used in Scottish

is prepared as a

herbal tea 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 plai ...

and thus subjected to both heat and steeping - both of which are used in the preparation of calcium oxalate-containing plants for food, as a means of eliminating the irritating oxalate crystals - most notably in the case of the popular tropical vegetable

taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...

.''The Morton Arboretum Quarterly'', Morton Arboretum/University of California, 1965, p. 36.

Gallery

File:Tofieldia%20calyculata%20habit.jpg, ''T. calyculata'', "German asphodel" File:Tofieldia%20coccinea%201.JPG, ''T. coccinea'' flowering in Japan File:Tofieldia%20furusei%20(Hiyama)%20M.N.Tamura%20&%20Fuse,%20Taxon%2060(5)%201346%20(2011)%20(50150289128).jpg, ''T. furusei'' File:Tofieldia%20nuda%20'Kurokami'%20Maxim.,%20Bull.%20Acad.%20Imp.%20Sci.%20Saint-P%C3%A9tersbourg,%20s%C3%A9r.%203,%2017%20176%20(1872)%20(50078312512).jpg, ''T. nuda'' cv. 'Kurokami' File:Tofieldia%20okuboi%201.JPG, ''T. okuboi'' flowering in Japan

References

External links

Jepson Manual: ''Tofieldia''USDA Plants Profile
Tofieldiaceae Alismatales genera {{Alismatales-stub