Turricula (plant genus)
| Template:Str crop | |
|---|---|
| File:PoodleDogBush.jpg | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | (unplaced) |
| Family: | Boraginaceae |
| Subfamily: | Hydrophylloideae |
| Genus: | Turricula |
| Species: | Turricula parryi |
| Binomial name | |
| Turricula parryi (A. Gray) J.F. Macbr. | |
The Poodle-dog bush or Common turricula, Turricula parryi, is the only species currently classified in the genus Turricula, within the waterleaf subfamily, Hydrophylloideae. It is endemic to California and Baja California, and can be found from the southern Sierra Nevada and San Joaquin Valley southwards to Baja California. It is found in chaparral, on slopes and ridges from 100 to 2300 meters. Its seeds can remain dormant in soil for long periods, with the plant springing up quickly when the soil is disturbed or where a wildfire has gone through. It grows into a moderate size, perennial woody shrub, branching from the base but with main stems extending for up to 3 meters. Is leaves are long and narrow, and may be toothed at the edge; they can be from 4 to 30 cm long. It flowers from June to August, having attractive bell-shaped blue, lavender or purple flowers. However it has a rank smell.
When first described by Asa Gray, the poodle-dog bush was placed within genus Eriodictyon. It was subsequently moved to a genus of its own, and molecular phylogenetic analysis carried out by Ferguson (1998) confirms that Turricula should be treated as a separate genus within a clade (Ferguson does not use the term "subfamily") that includes Eriodictyon, and also the genera Nama and Wigandia; Eriodictyon is the genus to which Turricula is closest in molecular terms, and is its sister taxon.
Poodle-dog bush causes severe irritation if touched, akin to poison oak or stinging nettle. It can raise blisters that will last as long as two weeks. This contact dermatitis is due to prenylated phenolics exuded by glandular trichomes of the plant (Reynolds, Proksch & Rodriguez, 1985). The principal irritants are derivatives of farnesyl hydroquinone.
Presumably because of its irritant properties, poodle-dog bush is rarely grown in gardens despite its attractive flowers; it is in any case difficult to grow in garden conditions. Native Americans used it medicinally: Zigmond (1981, p. 68) reports that the Kawaiisu people used an infusion of the leaves to relieve swellings or rheumatism, and Sparkman (1908, p. 230) also reports that the Luiseño people (who knew it as Atovikut) used it medicinally, though he does not specify for what purpose. No tests of the efficacity of these uses have been reported.
References
- Ferguson, D. M. (1998). Phylogenetic analysis and relationships in Hydrophyllaceae based on ndhF sequence data. Systematic Botany, 23, 253-268.
- Reynolds, G. W., Proksch, P. & Rodriguez, E. (1985). Prenylated phenolics that cause contact dermatitis from glandular trichomes of Turricula parryi. Planta Medica, 51, 494-498.
- Sparkman, P. S. (1908). The culture of the Luiseno Indians. University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology, 8(4), 187-234.
- Zigmond, M. L. (1981) Kawaiisu ethnobotany. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.
External links
- Photos of poodle-dog bush on the CalPhotos site
- Jepson manual treatment of the species
- USDA PLANTS database entry for the species
- Article about stinging properties of the bush from the Orange County Register
