Epimedium
Epimedium × versicolor
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Berberidaceae
Genus: Epimedium
L.[1]
Type species
Epimedium alpinum
Synonyms[2]
Epimedium
Chinese淫羊藿
Literal meaning"lascivious goat huo"

Epimedium, also known as barrenwort, bishop's hat, fairy wings, horny goat weed, or yin yang huo (Chinese: 淫羊藿; pinyin: Yínyánghùo; Wade–Giles: Yin²-yang²-huo⁴), is a genus of flowering plants in the family Berberidaceae. The majority of the species are endemic to China, with smaller numbers elsewhere in Asia, and a few in the Mediterranean region.[2]

Epimedium species are deciduous or evergreen hardy perennials. The majority have four-parted "spider-like" flowers in spring.

The species used as a dietary supplement is Epimedium grandiflorum. It contains icariin, which is a weak PDE5 inhibitor, in vitro. Its clinical effects are unknown. While there is little clinical evidence to date, as sildenafil, vardenafil, and tadalafil – sold under the brand names Viagra, Levitra and Cialis – are all based on (stronger) PDE5 inhibitory action, it is thought to have erectogenic properties and is found in some men's sexual health supplements.[3]

Description

Epimedium alpinum flower; note the spurs almost as long as the sepals
Labelled flowers of E. × perralchicum 'Fröhnleiten'

Species of Epimedium are herbaceous perennials, growing from an underground rhizome. Their growth habits are somewhat variable. Some have solitary stems, others have a "tufted" habit, with multiple stems growing close together. There may be several leaves to a stem or the leaves may be solitary, produced from the base of the plant. Individual leaves are generally compound, often with three leaflets, but also with more. Leaflets usually have spiny margins. The leaves may be annual, making the plant deciduous, or longer lasting, so that the plant is evergreen. The inflorescence is an open raceme or panicle, the number of flowers varying by species.[2]

Individual flowers have parts in fours. There are four smaller outer sepals, usually greenish and shed when the flower opens. Moving inwards, these are followed by four larger petal-like inner sepals, often brightly coloured. Inside the sepals are four true petals. These may be small and flat, but often have a complex shape including a nectar-producing "spur" that may be longer than the sepals. There are four stamens.[2]

One of the common names for the genus, bishop's hat, arises from the shape of the flowers, particularly where the spurs are longer than the sepals.

Taxonomy

The genus was given its name by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, in describing the European species E. alpinum.[1][4] The name is a Latinized version of a Greek name for an unidentifiable plant, epimedion, that is mentioned in Pliny's Natural History (xxvii.57). The meaning of the original name is unclear.[5]

Accepted species (65)[6]
  1. Epimedium acuminatum
  2. Epimedium alpinum
  3. Epimedium baiealiguizhouense
  4. Epimedium baojingensis
  5. Epimedium borealiguizhouense
  6. Epimedium brachyrrhizum
  7. Epimedium brevicornum
  8. Epimedium campanulatum
  9. Epimedium chlorandrum
  10. Epimedium circinatocucullatum
  11. Epimedium coactum
  12. Epimedium davidii
  13. Epimedium dewuense
  14. Epimedium diphyllum
  15. Epimedium dolichostemon
  16. Epimedium ecalcaratum
  17. Epimedium elatum
  18. Epimedium elongatum
  19. Epimedium enshiense
  20. Epimedium epsteinii
  21. Epimedium fangii
  22. Epimedium fargesii
  23. Epimedium flavum
  24. Epimedium franchetii
  25. Epimedium glandulosopilosum
  26. Epimedium grandiflorum
  27. Epimedium hunanense
  28. Epimedium ilicifolium
  29. Epimedium jingzhouense
  30. Epimedium koreanum
  31. Epimedium latisepalum
  32. Epimedium leptorrhizum
  33. Epimedium lishihchenii
  34. Epimedium lobophyllum
  35. Epimedium macrosepalum
  36. Epimedium membranaceum
  37. Epimedium mikinorii
  38. Epimedium multiflorum
  39. Epimedium myrianthum
  40. Epimedium ogisui
  41. Epimedium parvifolium
  42. Epimedium pauciflorum
  43. Epimedium perralderianum
  44. Epimedium pinnatum
  45. Epimedium platypetalum
  46. Epimedium pseudowushanense
  47. Epimedium pubescens
  48. Epimedium pubigerum
  49. Epimedium pudingense
  50. Epimedium qingchengshanense
  51. Epimedium reticulatum
  52. Epimedium rhizomatosum
  53. Epimedium sagittatum
  54. Epimedium sempervirens
  55. Epimedium setosum
  56. Epimedium shennongjiaensis
  57. Epimedium shuichengense
  58. Epimedium stellulatum
  59. Epimedium sutchuenense
  60. Epimedium trifoliolatobinatum
  61. Epimedium truncatum
  62. Epimedium wushanense
  63. Epimedium zhushanense

Hybrids

Epimedium × versicolor

Some artificial hybrids are cultivated in gardens. These include:[7]

  • E. × cantabrigiense Stearn, hybrid between E. alpinum and E. pubigerum
  • E. × perralchicum Stearn, hybrid between E. perralderianum and E. pinnatum subsp. colchicum
  • E. × rubrum Morr., hybrid between E. alpinum and E. grandiflorum
  • E. × versicolor Morr., hybrid between E. grandiflorum and E. pinnatum subsp. colchicum
  • E. × warleyense Stearn, hybrid between E. alpinum and E. pinnatum subsp. colchicum
  • E. × youngianum Fisch & C.A.Mey, hybrid between E. diphyllum and E. grandiflorum

Cultivation

Some varieties and hybrids have been in Western cultivation for the last 100 to 150 years. There is now a wide array of new Chinese species being cultivated in the West, many of which have only recently been discovered, and some of which have yet to be named. There are also many older Japanese hybrids and forms, extending the boundaries of the genus in cultivation. The majority of the Chinese species have not been fully tested for hardiness nor indeed for any other aspect of their culture. The initial assumption that the plants would only thrive where their native conditions could be closely replicated have proven to be overly cautious, as most varieties are proving extraordinarily amenable to general garden and container cultivation.

The cultivar 'Amber Queen' is a recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[8]

Propagation

While they can be successfully propagated in early spring, epimediums are best divided in late summer, with the aim of promoting rapid re-growth of roots and shoots before the onset of winter. Several breeders (in particular Darrell Diano Probst, Tim Branney & Robin White) have also undertaken their own hybridization programmes with the genus. Various new nursery selections are gradually appearing in the horticulture trade, the best of which extend the colour and shape range of the flowers available to the gardener.

Chemistry

Epimedium wushanense contains a number of flavonoids. 37 compounds were characterized from the underground and aerial parts of the plant. Among them, 28 compounds were prenylflavonoids. The predominant flavonoid, epimedin C, ranged from 1.4 to 5.1% in aerial parts and 1.0 to 2.8% in underground parts.[9]

Citations

  1. 1 2 "IPNI Plant Name Query Results for Epimedium". The International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ying, Junsheng; Boufford, David E. (es) [in Spanish] & Brach, Anthony R. (1994). "Epimedium". In Wu, Zhengyi; Raven, Peter H. & Hong, Deyuan (eds.). Flora of China (online). eFloras.org. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  3. ↑ Shindel, Alan W.; Xin, Zhong-Chen; Lin, Guiting; Fandel, Thomas M.; Huang, Yun-Ching; Banie, Lia; Breyer, Benjamin N.; Garcia, Maurice M.; Lin, Ching-Shwun; Lue, Tom F. (April 2010). "Erectogenic and Neurotrophic Effects of Icariin, a Purified Extract of Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium spp.) In Vitro and In Vivo". The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 7 (4 Pt 1): 1518–1528. doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01699.x. ISSN 1743-6095. PMC 3551978. PMID 20141584.
  4. ↑ Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 117 in Latin
  5. ↑ Johnson, A.T.; Smith, H.A. & Stockdale, A.P. (2019), Plant Names Simplified : Their Pronunciation Derivation & Meaning, Sheffield, Yorkshire: 5M Publishing, ISBN 9781910455067, p. 55
  6. ↑ The Plant List 2013.
  7. ↑ Beckett, K., ed. (1993). "Epimedium". Encyclopaedia of Alpines : Volume 1 (A–K). Pershore, UK: AGS Publications. ISBN 978-0-900048-61-6. pp. 437–441.
  8. ↑ "Epimedium 'Amber Queen'". www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  9. ↑ Li HF, Guan XY, Ye M, Xiang C, Lin CH, Sun C, Guo DA.,"Qualitative and quantitative analyses of Epimedium wushanense by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry." J Sep Sci. 2011 May 10;

General and cited references

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