Whole Herbarium Physical Specimen Sheet of Polygonum Lapathifolium
1 media/Physical Herbarium Specimen Sheet_thumb.jpg 2022-02-28T11:27:57-08:00 Moryel Yashar 10371b80dc53ee92566a2fccaf1cc9fa6abf3407 40021 1 Source: Consortium of California Herbaria (CCH2) plain 2022-02-28T11:27:57-08:00 Consortium of California Herbaria (CCH2) https://bisque.cyverse.org/image_service/image/00-Ta5cauVPC8NtY9htCPLR2k/resize:1250/format:jpeg 1946-07-19 39.30492 -120.525893 +-1000m. 20210922 105839 O. H. Kappler UCLA Herbarium - funded by the National Science Foundation award number 1802199 20210922 105839 Polygonaceae United States, California, Nevada, South Fork, Yuba River, Along Hiway 20 5700ft Point centered to elevation on S Fork Yuba River at intersection now with I-80 Polygonum lapathifolium L. Moryel Yashar 10371b80dc53ee92566a2fccaf1cc9fa6abf3407This page has annotations:
- 1 2022-03-04T19:48:24-08:00 Lexie Baughman 8e25a77aa976a9ae7f3f53b2f31421fb9623fd7e Collection location of P. lapathifolium. Lexie Baughman 2 plain 2022-03-04T19:49:02-08:00 Lexie Baughman 8e25a77aa976a9ae7f3f53b2f31421fb9623fd7e
- 1 2022-03-04T19:47:07-08:00 Lexie Baughman 8e25a77aa976a9ae7f3f53b2f31421fb9623fd7e Large leaf of P. lapathifolium. Lexie Baughman 2 plain 2022-03-04T19:49:02-08:00 Lexie Baughman 8e25a77aa976a9ae7f3f53b2f31421fb9623fd7e
- 1 2022-03-04T19:47:56-08:00 Lexie Baughman 8e25a77aa976a9ae7f3f53b2f31421fb9623fd7e P. lapathifolium flowers. Lexie Baughman 2 plain 2022-03-04T19:49:03-08:00 Lexie Baughman 8e25a77aa976a9ae7f3f53b2f31421fb9623fd7e
- 1 2022-03-04T19:48:45-08:00 Lexie Baughman 8e25a77aa976a9ae7f3f53b2f31421fb9623fd7e Stem of P. lapathifolium. Lexie Baughman 2 plain 2022-03-04T19:49:03-08:00 Lexie Baughman 8e25a77aa976a9ae7f3f53b2f31421fb9623fd7e
- 1 2022-03-04T19:47:30-08:00 Lexie Baughman 8e25a77aa976a9ae7f3f53b2f31421fb9623fd7e P. lapathifolium leaves are tear drop shaped. Lexie Baughman 2 plain 2022-03-04T19:49:03-08:00 Lexie Baughman 8e25a77aa976a9ae7f3f53b2f31421fb9623fd7e
This page is referenced by:
-
1
2022-02-16T11:43:04-08:00
Comparing and Contrasting Polygonum lapathifolium and Eriogonum grande var. rubescens, Two Members of the Polygonaceae Family
30
Polygonum lapathifolium and Eriogonum grande var. rubescens each represent a plant species belonging to the two subfamilies of Polygonaceae, providing evidence of their shared ancestry and thus similarities in general structure and perhaps habitat. Documentations of Polygonum lapathifolium — as a physical specimen sheet belonging to the UCLA Herbarium and as a record in Materia Medica — and Eriogonum grande var. Rubescens — displayed in the UCLA Botanical Garden — contribute to a contextual and practical understanding of their similarities and differences. An analysis of the information contained in these various specimens illustrate their comparative and contrasting modes of collection and their claimed medicinal properties. - By Moryel Yashar and Lexie Baughman
plain
2022-03-07T19:40:47-08:00
This page presents Polygonum lapathifolium, as both an herbarium specimen and a materia medica entry, and Eriogonum grande var. rubescens, as a specimen in a botanical garden.
These two species fall under the Polygonaceae, which are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed or smartweed-buckwheat family in the United States. While the two plant species belong to separate genera, their shared inclusion under the same family is a meaningful commonality, as it informs the observer of their relatedness and their classification processes. Interestingly, in the last comprehensive revision of the plant family published in 1993, the family was divided into two subfamilies, namely Eriogonoideae and Polygonoideae, on the basis of earlier systems of plant classification (Brandbyge, 1993). While the circumscriptions of these two subfamilies have since been changed in light of phylogenetic studies of DNA sequences, the Eriogonum and Polygonum genuses have maintained their position on the Polygonaceae phylogenetic tree. Such a tree shows a considerable evolutionary distance between them, which seems to correspond with their observed differences.
These differences begin with their collection processes. In terms of herbariums, the collection process is rather methodical, since it gives value to the specimen. This process usually involves recording what was collected, where it was collected, when it was collected, and who collected it. This information is made readily available on herbarium specimen sheets, usually in the form of an attached label. Looking at the P. lapathifolium specimen, for example, an observer learns that this sample was collected by O. H. Kappler around the South Fork of the Yuba River in 1946.
Although this process has become standardized with the establishment of herbariums, the core elements of this practice have been observed for some time. This is clear when analyzing the Materia Medica entry of P. lapathifolium, which illustrates the collected plant and lists its collectors, collection location, and collection date. While this information is valuable in itself, it also provides context to the specimen and allows an observer to make meaningful comparisons between them. For example, one could consider how the differences in flower structure between these two entries might relate to the unique habitat characteristics associated with their collection locations, as P. lapathifolium is considered native to both Europe and North America.
Contrastingly, specimens in a botanical garden are documented collections of living plants for research, conservation, display, and education. It seems reasonable to assume that Eriogonum grande var. rubescens, which is native and endemic to California, was grown in the botanical garden or otherwise obtained from another location in the state. While specific collection information is not disclosed, inferences can be made as above on the basis of its habitat, for example. Although there seem to be considerable differences between the structures and habitats of Eriogonum grande var. rubescens and P. lapathifolium, this could plausibly reflect their growth needs and how they are met by different environments (California and Europe/Asia, respectively).
These differences are also observed in terms of these species’ medicinal potential. There are many publications, both historical and modern, detailing the healing properties of P. lapathifolium; the entire plant itself has been claimed as an antiseptic and astringent, while specific extracts of the plant have been shown to have antioxidant or anti-inflammatory activity. However, there seems to be a lack of information in the literature regarding such properties of Eriogonum grande var. rubescens.WORKS CITED
Brandbyge, J. 1993. "Polygonaceae." In The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants, Volume II, edited by Klaus Kubitzki, Jens G. Rohwer, and Volker Bittrich, 531-544. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.