Chlorogalum pomeridianum
Chlorogalum pomeridianum | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Asparagaceae |
Subfamily: | Agavoideae |
Genus: | Chlorogalum |
Species: | C. pomeridianum
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Binomial name | |
Chlorogalum pomeridianum (
DC.) Kunth |
Chlorogalum pomeridianum, the wavy-leafed soap plant, California soaproot, or Amole, is the most common and most widely distributed of the
It is found in most of
Description
Like all the soap plants, Chlorogalum pomeridianum is a
The flowers are borne on a long stem, normally longer than the leaves, and are from 15 to 30 mm long. The six petals (actually only three of them are petals in the technical sense; the other three are sepals) are up to 35 mm long and curving. They are typically white but have a noticeable mid-vein which can be purple or green. The six stamens are large and noticeable, and yellow or orange. The flowers are hermaphrodites (having both female and male parts).
They open only in the late afternoon or evening, remaining open during the night but closing by the morning. Pollination is by evening- or night-flying insects.
Subspecies
Three varieties are recognized:
- Chlorogalum pomeridianum var. divaricatum — endemic to some coastal regions of California (the Central Coast and southern parts of the North Coast), found only at elevations below about 100 metres (330 ft).[3]
- Chlorogalum pomeridianum var. minus — endemic to the inner north and outer south Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California.[4]
- Chlorogalum pomeridianum var. pomeridianum, Nomlaki language: shlā — found throughout the range of the species.[5][6]
The
Uses
The fibers surrounding the bulb were widely used, bound together, to make small brushes. Extracts of the bulbs could also be used as a sealant or glue.
- Cleansing
The juices of the bulb contain
- Cuisine
The young leaves can be used as food, but the saponins in the bulbs make these poisonous. However saponins are very poorly absorbed by the body and usually pass straight through, and in any case they can be destroyed by thorough cooking. The Miwok people roasted and ate the bulbs as a winter food.[9] In February 1847 Patrick Breen of the ill-fated Donner Party recorded that a Native American gave the starving settler some "roots resembling Onions in shape [that] taste some like a sweet potatoe [sic], all full of little tough fibres." Breen's son later called the roots "California soap-root"—almost certainly C. pomeridianum.
Saponins are much more toxic to some other animals than they are to humans. Fish are particularly susceptible, and the bulb juices were used to kill or stun them so they could be caught easily.
- Medicinal
The bulbs also had various medicinal uses, both external (e.g., for making a poultice to be used as an antiseptic, or as a rub in cases of rheumatism) and internal (decoctions were used for a range of purposes, including as a diuretic, as a laxative and against stomachache).[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Jepson Manual (1993) Chlorogalum pomeridianum . accessed 3.23.2013
- ^ NRCS—USDA: Chlorogalum pomeridianum
- ^ Calflora: Chlorogalum pomeridianum var. divaricatum
- ^ Calflora: Chlorogalum pomeridianum var. minus
- ^ Calflora: Chlorogalum pomeridianum var. pomeridianum
- Government Printing Office. p. 407. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ^ Soap Lilies in California, 1998
- ^ C.M. Hogan, 2008
- ^ a b c Univ. of Michigan: Species entry in Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany Database: Chlorogalum pomeridianum