Aruncus dioicus
Inflorescence
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Aruncus
Species:
A. dioicus
Binomial name
Aruncus dioicus
(Walter) Fernald

Aruncus dioicus, known as goat's beard, buck's-beard[1] or bride's feathers, is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant in the family Rosaceae, found in Europe, Asia, and eastern and western North America. It is the type species of the genus Aruncus. It has alternate, pinnately compound leaves, on thin, stiff stems, with plumes of feathery white or cream flowers borne in summer.

The Latin specific epithet dioicus means "having the male reproductive organs on one plant, and the female on another".[2]

Description

The leaves are alternate and pinnately compound. Leaflets are sharply compoundly-serrate.

The species is from 1.2 to 1.8 metres (4 to 6 ft) tall, with compound leaves consisting of 3 or 5 leaflets. Very small, 5-petaled white or cream flowers are displayed in showy panicles, blooming in late spring to early summer. Male and female flowers are borne on different plants.[3] The flower spikes rise high above the plant, adding to the showiness of the species. Plants with male flowers have a showier bloom than the ones with female flowers.[4]

Varieties

  • Aruncus dioicus var. aethusifolius (H.Lév.) H.Hara – Korean goatsbeard[5]

Distribution and Habitat

This plant can be found in moist woodland, often at higher altitudes, throughout temperate areas of Europe, Asia, and eastern and western North America. In the UK it is considered suitable for planting in and around water areas,[6] and has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[7][8] Goat's beard prefers humus-rich soil and shade or partial shade. It can be grown in full sun if it has consistent moisture.

Ecology

Aruncus dioicus is the host plant for the dusky azure butterfly.[9]

Uses

In Italy the young shoots are eaten, usually boiled briefly in herb infused water, and then cooked with eggs and cheese. In Friuli it is one of the ingredients in the local home-made soup based on wild greens called 'pistic'.[10]

Aruncus dioicus var. kamtschaticus has shown potent cytotoxicity against Jurkat T cells.[11]

Native Americans in the Northwest used the plant medicinally as a diuretic, as a poultice, and to treat blood diseases, smallpox, and sore throats.[12]

References

  1. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. ↑ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 978-1845337315.
  3. ↑ Denison, Edgar (2017). Missouri Wildflowers (Sixth ed.). Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-887247-59-7.
  4. ↑ "Aruncus dioicus - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org.
  5. ↑ English Names for Korean Native Plants (PDF). Pocheon: Korea National Arboretum. 2015. p. 362. ISBN 978-89-97450-98-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2016 – via Korea Forest Service.
  6. ↑ BS 7370-5 Recommendations for maintenance of water areas
  7. ↑ "RHS Plant Selector - Aruncus dioicus". Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  8. ↑ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 8. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  9. ↑ Robinson, Gaden S.; Ackery, Phillip R.; Kitching, Ian; Beccaloni, George W.; Hernández, Luis M. (2023). "HOSTS - The Hostplants and Caterpillars Database at the Natural History Museum". www.nhm.ac.uk. doi:10.5519/havt50xw.
  10. ↑ Ghirardini, M.; Carli, M.; Del Vecchio, N.; Rovati, A.; Cova, O.; Valigi, F.; Agnetti, G.; MacConi, M.; Adamo, D.; Traina, M.; Laudini, F.; Marcheselli, I.; Caruso, N.; Gedda, T.; Donati, F.; Marzadro, A.; Russi, P.; Spaggiari, C.; Bianco, M.; Binda, R.; Barattieri, E.; Tognacci, A.; Girardo, M.; Vaschetti, L.; Caprino, P.; Sesti, E.; Andreozzi, G.; Coletto, E.; Belzer, G.; Pieroni, A. (2007). "The importance of a taste. A comparative study on wild food plant consumption in twenty-one local communities in Italy". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 3: 22. doi:10.1186/1746-4269-3-22. PMC 1877798. PMID 17480214.
  11. ↑ Jeong, S. Y.; Jun, D. Y.; Kim, Y. H.; Min, B. S.; Min, B. K.; Woo, M. H. (2011). "Monoterpenoids from the aerial parts of Aruncus dioicus var. Kamtschaticus and their antioxidant and cytotoxic activities". Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 21 (11): 3252–3256. doi:10.1016/j.bmcl.2011.04.043. PMID 21546250.
  12. ↑ Fagan, Damian (2019). Wildflowers of Oregon: A Field Guide to Over 400 Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Coast, Cascades, and High Desert. Guilford, CT: FalconGuides. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-4930-3633-2. OCLC 1073035766.
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