Iva annua
| Iva annua | |
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| Species: | I. annua
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| Binomial name | |
| Iva annua L. 1753
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Iva annua, the annual marsh elder[2] or sumpweed, is a North American herbaceous annual plant in the sunflower family that was historically cultivated by Native Americans for its edible seed.
Description
Iva annua is an annual herb up to 150 cm (5 feet) tall. The plant produces many small flower heads in a narrow, elongated, spike-like array, each head with 11–17 disc florets but no ray florets.[3]
Distribution
It is native to northeastern Mexico (Tamaulipas) and to the central and southern United States, primarily the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley as far north as North Dakota. There are some populations in the eastern US, but these appear to represent introductions.[4]
Uses
Iva annua was cultivated for its edible seed by Native Americans around 4,000 years ago[5] in the central and eastern United States as part of the Eastern Agricultural Complex. It was especially important to the indigenous peoples of the Kansas City Hopewell culture in present-day Missouri and Illinois. The edible parts contain 32 percent protein and 45 percent oil.
However, like its relative ragweed, sumpweed possesses many objectionable qualities which include being a severe potential allergen and possessing a disagreeable odor. Probably for these reasons it was abandoned once more pleasant alternatives (such as maize) were available, and by the time Europeans arrived in the Americas, had long disappeared as a crop.[6]
See also
References
- ^ The Plant List, Iva annua L.
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Iva annua". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
- ^ Flora of North America, Iva annua Linnaeus, 1753.
- ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
- ^ "Population boom preceded early farming". sciencedaily.com. August 2, 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
- ^ Jared Diamond (2003). Guns, Germs and Steel. New York: Norton. p. 151.
External links
- Heliantheae
- Grains
- Flora of the Great Plains (North America)
- Flora of the United States
- Flora of the South-Central United States
- Flora of the Southeastern United States
- Flora of the Great Lakes region (North America)
- Flora of the Appalachian Mountains
- Flora of Tamaulipas
- Flora of Veracruz
- Edible nuts and seeds
- Crops originating from Pre-Columbian North America
- Native American cuisine of the Southeastern Woodlands
- Pre-Columbian Great Plains cuisine
- Crops originating from the United States
- Plants described in 1753
- Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus