User:MargaretRDonald/sandbox/Indigofera linnaei
Indigofera linnaei | |
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Indigofera linnaei | |
NT (DEC)[1]
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Scientific classification | |
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Genus: | |
Species: | I. australis
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Binomial name | |
'Indigofera linnaei' | |
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Australian Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium | |
Synonyms[4] | |
Hedysarum prostratum L. |
Indigofera linnaei, known as Birdsville indigo' and Nine-leaved indigo, is a species of leguminous shrub in the genus Indigofera (Fabaceae family). The genus name, Indigofera, is derived from Latin and means bearing/containing Indigo (Indigo, a purple dye originally obtained from some Indigofera species), while linnaei derives from Linnaeus.
It is found in throughout South East Asia, extending through the various archipeligos to Australia, where it is widespread in the northern part of the continent.[5][6]
Distribution
[edit]It is found in Assam, Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, China, Himalaya, Hainan, India, Indonesia, Laos, Lesser Sunda Islands, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sulawesi, Thailand, Vietnam, and Australia.[4] Within Australia it is found in Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, New South Wales, [4][7] and South Australia.[7]
Description
[edit]Indigofera linnaei is a spreading, usually prostrate woody herb, 15–50 cm high with a long taproot,[8], which forms a flat mat up to 1.5 m across, and up to 45 cm high.[6] The compound leaves are up to 3 cm long, with (generally) 7 or 9 obovate, alternate leaflets which have a mucronate apex and are about 8–15 mm long and 2–5 mm wide. The stipules are lanceolate (shaped like a lance-head) and about 5 mm long with broad, dry margins.[8][9] The inflorescences are dense and up to 2 cm long. Calyx covered with spreading, white hairs, teeth longer than the tube. The petals are red.[8] The standard slightly exceeds the calyx, and the wings and keel are shorter.[9] The pod is oblong and silky, about 3–7 mm long, pointed at apex, and usually contains two seeds.[8]
The branches are covered with appressed white hairs; leaves peltate, 3-5 cm long; leaflets 7-9, obovate-cuneate, 8-13 x 2-5 mm, mucronate, sericeous on both sides; stipules c. 3 mm long, lanceolate, lateral, free, sericeous. Inflorescence subsessile, dense, a glomerule-like spike, 1-2 cm long, few- to 25-flowered; bracts lanceolate, 3-4 mm long, pubescent, scarious, with a strong central vein terminating in an acuminate tip; flowers sessile, c. 5 mm long; calyx campanulate, 3-5 mm long, villous, the narrow acuminate teeth much longer than the tube; petals red; standard obovate-spathulate, slightly exceeding the calyx; wings and keel shorter, inserted.[9]
In the Northern Territory, it is a weedy species often found in disturbed or overgrazed areas and on a variety of soils from skeletal soils and red sand to cracking clay.[10] It flowers and fruits in all months of the year.[10]
In Western Australia it flowers from January to May, and is found on sandy soils, on sandstone & limestone ridges, along rives and creeks, and on rocky hillsides.[1]
Toxicity
[edit]Ultimately, it was recognised as the plant which gave horses the "Birdsville" disease (a disease of horses in arid amd semi-arid Australia), with the causal agent being suspected as indospicene[11] or possibly cavananine.[6]
Indospicine accumulates in the tissues of grazing livestock after ingestion of Indigofera, causing both liver degeneration and abortion across animal species but the degree varies considerably between species. The magnitude of sensitivity in dogs is such that consumption of indospicine-contaminated horse and camel meat has caused secondary poisoning of dogs.[12] Livestock grazing Indigofera have a chronic and cumulative exposure to this toxin, with such exposure experimentally shown to induce both hepatotoxicity and embryo-lethal effects in cattle, sheep[12] and horses (with cases in horses generally occurring in the dry season, when the grass is poor and the weather is not dry enough to prevent the growth of Indigofera linnaei).[6].
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Indigofera linnaei". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- ^ "Indigofera linnaei". Australian Plant Name Index, IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ Ali, S.I. (1958), Revision of the genus Indigofera L. from W. Pakistan and N.W. Himalayas. Botaniska Notiser 111: 549. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ a b c Govaerts, R. et. al. (2018) Plants of the world online: Indigofera linnaei. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ GBIF: Indigofera linnaei Ali. GBIF Secretariat: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- ^ a b c d Everist, S.L. (1979) Poisonous Plants of Australia (2nd ed.) pp.447-450. Angus and Robertson Publishers, Melbourne.
- ^ a b The Australasian Virtual Herbarium – Occurrence data for Indigofera linnaei. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Peter G. Wilson, P.G. (1991) PlantNET: Indigofera linnaei. Data derived from Flora of NSW 2, National Herbarium of NSW, Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ a b c SA Flora: Indigofera linnaei. Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ a b NTFlora: Indigofera linnaei. Northern Territory Flora online, Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 17 November 2018
- ^ PubChem:Compound Summary for CID 108010 Indospicine. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ^ a b Fletcher, M.; Al Jassim, R.; Cawdell-Smith, A. (2015). "The Occurrence and Toxicity of Indospicine to Grazing Animals". Agriculture. 5 (3): 427–440. doi:10.3390/agriculture5030427. ISSN 2077-0472.
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External links
[edit]- The Australasian Virtual Herbarium – Occurrence data for Indigofera linnaei
- PubChem:Literature concerning indospocine
Media related to MargaretRDonald/sandbox/Indigofera linnaei at Wikimedia Commons
Category:Indigofereae linnaei Category:Flora of New South Wales Category:Flora of Queensland Category:Flora of South Australia Category:Flora of the Northern Territory Category:Flora of Western Australia