Lithospermum
Encyclopedia
Lithospermum is a genus of plants belonging to the family Boraginaceae
. Herbs or small shrubs, they are widely distributed except in Australasia. Species are known generally as gromwells or stoneseeds.
Some species, such as Lithospermum arvense
, are sometimes classified in the genus Buglossoides, but that genus is subsumed into Lithospermum by works such as the Flora of China
.
Lithospermum officinale
, or gromwell, is a Europe
an native while Lithospermum caroliniense, a species of puccoon
, is native to North America
. Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum
is native to Japan
, where it has been traditionally been used to make a purple
dye
.
The dried root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon,is a Chinese herbal medicine with various antiviral and biological activities, including inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1).
Lithospermum leaves are eaten by the caterpillar
s of certain Lepidoptera
, such as the moth
Ethmia pusiella
which has been recorded on Common Gromwell (L. officinale).
Boraginaceae
Boraginaceae, the Borage or Forget-me-not family, include a variety of shrubs, trees, and herbs, totaling about 2,000 species in 146 genera found worldwide.A number of familiar plants belong to this family....
. Herbs or small shrubs, they are widely distributed except in Australasia. Species are known generally as gromwells or stoneseeds.
Some species, such as Lithospermum arvense
Lithospermum arvense
Lithospermum arvense is a flowering plant of the family Boraginaceae. It is also known as Buglossoides arvensis....
, are sometimes classified in the genus Buglossoides, but that genus is subsumed into Lithospermum by works such as the Flora of China
Flora of China (journal)
Flora of China is a scientific publication aimed at describing the plants native to China.The is a collaborative scientific effort to publish the first modern English-language account of the approximately 31,000 species of vascular plants of China...
.
Lithospermum officinale
Lithospermum officinale
Lithospermum officinale or Common Gromwell or European Stoneseed is a plant species of the genus Lithospermum.Its leaves are eaten by the caterpillars of the moth Ethmia pusiella....
, or gromwell, is a Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an native while Lithospermum caroliniense, a species of puccoon
Puccoon
Puccoon is a common name that refers to any of several plants formerly used by certain Native Americans for dyes. The dyes were made from the plants' roots.The name is derived from the Powhatan word poughkone.-Types:...
, is native to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum
Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum
Lithospermum purpurocaerula or Purple Gromwell is a herbaceous perennial rhizomatous plant of the genus Lithospermum, belonging to the family Boraginaceae.-Etymology:...
is native to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where it has been traditionally been used to make a purple
Purple
Purple is a range of hues of color occurring between red and blue, and is classified as a secondary color as the colors are required to create the shade....
dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
.
The dried root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon,is a Chinese herbal medicine with various antiviral and biological activities, including inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1).
Lithospermum leaves are eaten by the caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s of certain Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
, such as the moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
Ethmia pusiella
Ethmia pusiella
Ethmia pusiella is a moth of the family Ethmiidae, which is sometimes included in Elachistidae or Oecophoridae as a subfamily. It occurs throughout Europe and eastwards to the Tien Shan mountains of eastern Central Asia.The wingspan is 19-20 mm....
which has been recorded on Common Gromwell (L. officinale).
Selected species
- Lithospermum arvenseLithospermum arvenseLithospermum arvense is a flowering plant of the family Boraginaceae. It is also known as Buglossoides arvensis....
- field gromwell - Lithospermum californicumLithospermum californicumLithospermum californicum is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name California stoneseed. It is native to southern Oregon and northern California, where it can be found in many types of mountain habitat, such as forest, woodland, and chaparral. It is a hairy...
- California stoneseed - Lithospermum canescensLithospermum canescensLithospermum canescens is a species of flowering plant known by the common name Hoary Puccoon. It is endemic to eastern North America. The plant has golden yellow flowers which bloom from April to May....
- hoary puccoon - Lithospermum carolinienseLithospermum carolinienseLithospermum caroliniense is commonly known as the Hairy puccoon or Carolina puccoon. It is found in the United States in the Midwest, around the Great Lakes, and through the Canadian provinces surrounding the Great Lakes. The plant grows in sandhills, pine barrens and dry, sandy woods.Dr. Robert...
- Carolina puccoon - Lithospermum confine - Arizona stoneseed
- Lithospermum erythrorhizon - Zicao
- Lithospermum incisumLithospermum incisumLithospermum incisum is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by several common names, including narrowleaf stoneseed, fringed gromwell, narrowleaf puccoon, and plains stoneseed. It is native to much of central Canada and the United States, where it is known from many types of...
- narrowleaf stoneseed - Lithospermum multiflorum - manyflowered stoneseed
- Lithospermum officinaleLithospermum officinaleLithospermum officinale or Common Gromwell or European Stoneseed is a plant species of the genus Lithospermum.Its leaves are eaten by the caterpillars of the moth Ethmia pusiella....
- European stoneseed - Lithospermum prostratumLithospermum prostratumLithospermum prostratum is an ornamental plant native from Europe in the Boraginaceae family. It is known in the UK as Creeping Gromwell.-External links:...
- Lithospermum purpurocaeruleumLithospermum purpurocaeruleumLithospermum purpurocaerula or Purple Gromwell is a herbaceous perennial rhizomatous plant of the genus Lithospermum, belonging to the family Boraginaceae.-Etymology:...
- purple gromwell - Lithospermum ruderaleLithospermum ruderaleLithospermum ruderale is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name western stoneseed. It is native to western Canada and the western United States, where it can be found in many types of habitat. It is a hairy perennial herb growing from a taproot and woody caudex....
- western stoneseed - Lithospermum viride - green stoneseed