Polish cochineal
Polish cochineal | |
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Life cycle of the Polish cochineal in Breyne's Historia naturalis Cocci Radicum... (1731) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hemiptera |
Suborder: | Sternorrhyncha |
Family: | Margarodidae |
Genus: | Porphyrophora |
Species: | P. polonica
|
Binomial name | |
Porphyrophora polonica | |
Area where the Polish cochineal was found in commercial quantities[1] | |
Synonyms [2] | |
Polish cochineal (Porphyrophora polonica, Margarodes polonicus), also known as Polish carmine scales (
Biology
Life cycle
In mid-July, the female Polish cochineal lays approximately 600-700 eggs, encased with a white waxy
The cysts are small dark red or violet bubbles clustered on the host plant's roots. Female cysts are 3–4 millimetres (0.12–0.16 in) in diameter. Males are half the size of their female counterparts and fewer in number, with only one male per 500 females. The cysts undergo ecdysis a number of times. When the male larva reaches the third-
Host plants and geographic distribution
The Polish cochineal lives on
The insect was once commonly found throughout the
History
Ancient
Dye production
Similar to some other red dyes obtained from scale insects, the red coloring is derived from
Trade
Polish cochineal was widely traded in Europe during the Middle Ages and the
The advent of cheaper Mexican
With the partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century, vast markets in Russia and Central Asia opened to Polish cochineal, which became an export product again – this time, to the East. In the 19th century, Bukhara, Uzbekistan, became the principal Polish cochineal trading center in Central Asia; from there the dye was shipped to Kashgar in Xinjiang, and Kabul and Herat in Afghanistan. It is possible that the Polish dye was used to manufacture some of the famous oriental rugs.[1]
Studies
The earliest known scientific study of the Polish cochineal is found in the Herbarz Polski (Polish Herbal) by Marcin of Urzędów (1595), where it was described as "small red seeds" that grow under plant roots, becoming "ripe" in April and from which a little "bug" emerges in June.[7] The first scientific comments by non-Polish authors were written by Segerius (1670) and von Bernitz (1672).[1] In 1731, Johann Philipp Breyne, wrote Historia naturalis Cocci Radicum Tinctorii quod polonicum vulgo audit (translated into English during the same century), the first major treatise about the insect, including the results of his research on its physiology and life cycle.[7] In 1934, Polish biologist Antoni Jakubski wrote Czerwiec polski (Polish cochineal), a monograph taking into account both the insect's biology and historical role.[citation needed]
Linguistics
The historical importance of the Polish cochineal is still reflected in most modern Slavic languages where the words for the color red and for the month of June both derive from the Proto-Slavic *čьrvь (probably pronounced [t͡ʃĭrwĭ]), meaning "a worm" or "larva".[9] (See examples in the table below.)
In
English | Belarusian | Ukrainian | Polish | Czech | Bulgarian |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
worm, larva |
чарвяк charvyak |
черв'як cherv'yak |
czerw | červ | червей chervey |
red (adj.) | чырвоны chyrvony |
червоний chervonyy |
czerwony czerwień |
červený | червен cherven |
June | чэрвень chervyen' |
червень cherven' |
czerwiec | červen | червеник chervenik |
July | červenec | чръвенъ chraven | |||
Polish cochineal | чэрвек chervyeк |
червець chervets' |
czerwiec polski |
See also
- Armenian cochineal (Porphyrophora hamelii )
- Cochineal (Dactylopius coccus)
- Kermes vermilio
- Crimson (color)
References
- ^ a b c d Mushak, Paul (June–July 1988). "The Use of Insect Dyes in Oriental Rugs and Textiles: Some Unresolved Issues". Oriental Rug Review. VIII (5). Ron O'Callaghan. Archived from the original on 2013-07-01.
- ^ All synonyms from "uBio Project". The Marine Biological Laboratory. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
- ^ S2CID 186214761.
- ^ a b c d e Łagowska Bożena; Golan Katarzyna; Stepaniuk Krzysztof (2006). "Występowanie czerwca polskiego – Porphyrophora polonica (L.) (Hemiptera: Margarodidae) w Polsce oraz uwagi o jego cyklu życiowym" (PDF). Wiadomości Entomologiczne (in Polish). 25 (1). Polskie Towarzystwo Entomologiczne: 5–14. Summary and image captions in English.
- ^ Червона книга України (in Ukrainian). 1994. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
- ^ Handbook of Natural Colorants, year 2009, on page 7, section headed "anthraquinone reds".
- ^ Dom Wydawniczy BELLONA. Archived from the originalon July 18, 2011. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
- ^ JSTOR 105531.
- ^ English – Proto-Slavic glossary at "Multizaurus". Full Moon Academy. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
Further reading
- Breyne (Breynius), Johann Philipp (1731). Historia naturalis Cocci Radicum Tinctorii quod polonicum vulgo audit (in Latin). Gdańsk.
- Jakubski, Antoni Władysław (1934). Czerwiec polski (Porphyrophora polonica (L.). Studium historyczne ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem roli czerwca w historii kultury (in Polish). Warsaw: Wyd. Kasy im. Mianowskiego – Instytutu Popierania Nauki. p. 502.
External links
- "Les noms de mois slaves" (in French). Forum Babel. 2006-12-07. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
- "Balto-Slavic wordlist". Geonames. Retrieved 2007-01-27.