Macleaya cordata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Papaveraceae
Genus: Macleaya
Species:
M. cordata
Binomial name
Macleaya cordata
Synonyms

Bocconia cordata Willd.

Macleaya cordata, the five-seeded plume-poppy,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae,[2] which is used ornamentally.[3] It is native to China and Japan. It is a large herbaceous perennial growing to 2.5 m (8 ft) tall by 1 m (3 ft) or more wide, with olive green leaves and airy panicles of buff-white flowers in summer.[4]

Etymology

Xianbei people blowing boluohui, a kind of horn that the dried stem of Macleaya cordata is used to imitate

The Latin cordata means "heart-shaped", referring to the leaves.[5] The common name plume poppy is used for plants of the genus Macleaya.

The Chinese name 博落回 (bóluòhúi) is derived from 簸邏迴 (bòluóhúi), the Xianbei name for a musical instrument also known as 大角 (dà jiǎo, "big horn"), because the sound of blowing the dried[note 1] hollow stem resembles the instrument sound.[6]

The Japanese name 竹似草 (takenigusa) means "bamboo-like herb", also referring to its hollow stem.

Cultivation

Macleaya cordata growing wild along the Cynwyd Heritage Trail.

It self-seeds readily and can be invasive, so in cultivation requires space. It is a popular subject for flower arranging. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[7]

Macleaya × kewensis, bred at Kew Gardens, is a hybrid of M. cordata and M. microcarpa. The cultivar 'Flamingo' has pink tinged flowers, and has also received the Award of Garden Merit.[8]

Other uses

Macleaya cordata leaf.

Macleaya cordata is a source of a variety of chemical compounds, mainly isoquinoline alkaloids. The seed oil contains dihydrosanguinarine, dihydrochelerythrine, and twelve fatty acids of which linoleic, oleic, palmitic and stearic acids predominate.[9]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The sap is very poisonous, so the fresh stem should never be blown.

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. ↑ "Macleaya cordata - (Willd.)R.Br". Plants for a Future (PFAF).
  3. ↑ Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
  4. ↑ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
  5. ↑ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN 9781845337315.
  6. ↑ 陳藏器 (739). 本草拾遺 (in Chinese).
  7. ↑ "Macleaya cordata". www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  8. ↑ "RHS Plant Selector - Macleaya × kewensis 'Flamingo'". Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  9. ↑ Kosina, P.; Gregorova, J.; Gruz, J.; Vacek, J.; Kolar, M.; Vogel, M.; Roos, W.; Naumann, K.; Simanek, V.; Ulrichova, J. (2010). "Phytochemical and antimicrobial characterization of Macleaya cordata herb". Fitoterapia. 81 (8): 1006–1012. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2010.06.020. PMID 20600683.
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