Cistanche

Cistanche
Cistanche tubulosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Orobanchaceae
Tribe: Orobancheae
Genus: Cistanche
Species

See Text

Synonyms

Haemodoron Rchb. 1828

Cistanche is a worldwide genus of holoparasitic desert plants in the family Orobanchaceae. They lack chlorophyll and obtain nutrients and water from the host plants whose roots they parasitize. They are often known as desert hyacinths.[1]

Taxonomy

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There are between 20 and 30 species of Cistanche. The most comprehensive description of the genus was published in 1930.[2] The taxonomy is difficult because important features of the flowers are often poorly preserved after drying. The plants are found from the Mediterranean region, North Africa, Middle East through to China. The species of Cistanche are parasitic plants that connect to the conductive system of a host, extracting water and nutrients from the roots of the host plant.[1]

Species

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Species as according to Plants of the World Online as of January 2024:[3]

Image Scientific Name Distribution
Cistanche aethiopica Beck NW. Ethiopia
Cistanche afghanica Gilli SE. Afghanistan
Cistanche armena (K.Koch) M.V.Agab. Transcaucasus
Cistanche christisonioides Beck Pakistan
Cistanche compacta (Viv.) Bég. & A.Vacc. NE. Libya
Cistanche deserticola Ma China (Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang), Mongolia
Cistanche feddeana K.S.Hao Mongolia, China (Sichuan)
Cistanche fissa (C.A.Mey.) Beck Israel to Central Asia
Cistanche flava (C.A.Mey.) Korsh. Iran, Kazakhstan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Cistanche lanzhouensis Z.Y.Zhang E. & S. Mongolia to N. China.
Cistanche laxiflora Aitch. & Hemsl. Afghanistan, Iran
Cistanche lutea (Desf.) Hoffmanns. & Link Algeria, Morocco, Oman, Spain
Cistanche mauritanica (Coss. & Durieu) Beck Algeria, Morocco
Cistanche mongolica Beck Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan, China (Xinjiang)
Cistanche phelypaea (L.) Cout. Algeria, Benin, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Chad, Cyprus, Egypt, Italy, Kriti, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Portugal, Selvagens, Senegal, Spain, Sudan, Tunisia, Western Sahara
Cistanche ridgewayana Aitch. & Hemsl. Afghanistan, Iran, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Cistanche rosea Baker Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
Cistanche salsa (C.A.Mey.) Beck Afghanistan, China (Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia), Russia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Mongolia, Qinghai, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Cistanche sinensis Beck China (Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang)
Cistanche speciosa Butkov Uzbekistan
Cistanche stenostachya Butkov Uzbekistan
Cistanche trivalvis (Trautv.) Korsh. Turkmenistan
Cistanche tubulosa (Schenk) Wight ex Hook.f. Afghanistan, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gulf States, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sinai, Socotra, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, Yemen
Cistanche violacea (Desf.) Hoffmanns. & Link Algeria, Chad, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sinai, Tunisia, Western Sahara

Growth

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They typically grow in desert or sand dune areas Growing in arid regions, where their flower spikes that emerge from bare ground are the only evidence of the presence of the plants. They do not have leaves and do not perform photosynthesis.[1]

Some species of Cistanche are native to the Taklimakan desert region of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region northwest China where they grow on desert host plants tamarix and Haloxylon ammodendron.[4]

Uses

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Along with other members of the genus, Cistanche deserticola is the primary source of the Chinese herbal medicine cistanche (Chinese: 肉苁蓉, pinyin ròucōngróng). The main sources of cistanche are Cistanche salsa and Cistanche deserticola, although it may also be obtained from Cistanche tubulosa, Cistanche sinensis, and Cistanche ambigua. The drug, known in Chinese as suosuo dayun, is collected in spring before sprouting, by slicing the stems of the plant. Cistanche deserticola has been placed on CITES Appendix 2, a list of endangered species not banned from trade but requiring monitoring. With increased consumption of cistanche, the population of the species has decreased and its area of distribution has shrunk. Aside from over-collection or indiscriminate collection, an important factor in the diminished supply of cistanche is a loss of the host, Haloxylon ammodendron, which is widely used for firewood.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Thorogood, Chris J; Leon, Christine J; Lei, Di; Aldughayman, Majed; Huang, Lin-fang; Hawkins, Julie A (2021). "Desert hyacinths: An obscure solution to a global problem?". Plants People Planet. 3 (4): 302–307. doi:10.1002/ppp3.10215. S2CID 237761914.
  2. ^ Beck-Mannagetta, G (1930). "Orobanchaceae". Das Pflanzenreich 4. 261: 1–348.
  3. ^ "Cistanche Hoffmanns. & Link". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  4. ^ Cistanche tubulosa and deserticola: An In-Depth Analysis http://urbol.com/cistanche-tubulosa-and-deserticola/
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