Is Eyebright in the Scrophulariaceae or Orobanchaceae Family?

Overall At-Risk Score: 40

Latin Name:

Euphrasia spp. is a genus of roughly 450 species of annual herbs. Species confirmed to live in North America include E. × aequalis, E. disjuncta, Eastward. frigida, E. hudsonia, E. micrantha, E. mollis, E. nemorosa, E. oakesii, E. randii, E. stricta, Eastward. subarctica, Eastward. suborbicularis, E. tetraquetra, and Due east. vinacea.

Common Name:

Eyebright

Family:

Orobanchaceae (Broomrape family)
(Formerly Scrophulariaceae, the figwort family unit)

Lifespan:

Annual

Reproduction:

Being an annual, this plant must reproduce from seed each growing season. Its institution each yr as well depends heavily on the perennial regeneration of its host plants. Euphrasia tin have difficulties in reproduction due to a low rate of seed formation.

Geographic Region:

Eyebright grows in portions of nearly every region in the Northern Hemisphere, though it but grows in a few states in the U.S., namely Alaska, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Habitat:

Euphrasia lives primarily in deciduous forest margins, or dry out fields, though they are likewise institute along roadsides and waste areas, and specific species have their own requirements for the state they tin can inhabit. Where eyebright plants live depends largely upon the plants around information technology, as Euphrasia is a hemiparasitic plant that thrives when using nutrients gained by connecting its root systems to nearby plants through their haustorium—specialized root-like filaments that latch onto the preexisting roots of other plants to leech water and nutrients from them.

Vulnerability of Habitat/Changes of Habitat Quality and Availability:

In experiments on Euphrasia cultivation, Euphrasia was found to be very sensitive to proper soil composition and moisture levels, equally well equally temperature and light changes. Abiotic stress is a major concern regarding the wellbeing of this genus. Additionally, though the institute is capable of surviving without parasitizing off other species, eyebright plants are more than probable to survive if they have access to a variety of hosts, and thus changes to the biodiversity of a region could impact the long term health of a Euphrasia population.

Status of Endangered/Threatened (by land):

E. disjuncta is listed equally "Possibly Extirpated" in Maine, the only U.S. land it could previously be found in.
Due east. hudsonia is listed equally "Threatened" in Michigan.
Eastward. nemorosa is listed as "Threatened" in Michigan.
Eastward. oakesii is "Endangered" in Maine and New Hampshire, the just U.S. states it tin can exist plant in.
E. hudsonia is the only eyebright species native to Due north America that has been evaluated past the IUCN Ruby List; it is considered to be of "least business organization".

Part of Plant Used/Active Medicinal Compounds:

Eyebright has been used every bit a tea in folk medicine, in an endeavour to treat vision and eye problems (specially ones that result in discharge from the eyes), coughs, and minor bug or pains in the ears, nose, and head.

Recommendations For Industrial and Abode Use:

Cultivating Euphrasia for marketplace sale can exist challenging due to the high seedling mortality rate when transplanted, forth with the variation in the time it takes a plant to get established, but it is even so a viable option and should definitely be considered. Eyebright plants grow best when paired with a diversity of species, but seem to become the most out of legumes, as well as White Clover (Trifolium repens) and Buck's-Horn Plantain (Plantago coronopus).

Citations

• Brown, K. R. Franchon, N. et al. (2019, January 08). Life history evolution and phenotypic plasticity in parasitic eyebrights (Euphrasia, Orobanchaceae). doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/362400
  Duke, J. and Foster, S., (1990), A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs: Eastern and Central North America, Boston MA, Houghton Mifflin, Page 42.
• Haines, A. (2011). New England Wild Flower Order'southward Flora Novae Angliae: A Transmission for the Identification of Native and Naturalized Higher Vascular Plants of New England. Yale University Printing.
• Hellström, K., Rautio, P., Huhta, A.-P., & Tuomi, J. (2004). Tolerance of an annual hemiparasite, Euphrasia stricta agg., to imitation grazing in relation to the host environment. Flora – Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants, 199(iii), 247–255. doi:10.1078/0367-2530-00152.
  Integrated Taxonomic Information Organization. (n.d.). ITIS Standard Written report Page: Euphrasia. Retrieved from https://world wide web.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=33588#null
• Maiz-Tome, L. (2016.) Euphrasia hudsoniana. The IUCN Ruby-red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T64311558A67729491. http://dx.doi.org/x.2305/IUCN.Britain.2016-1.RLTS.T64311558A67729491.en. Downloaded on 28 August 2019.
  USDA. (n.d.). Plants Profile for Eyebright (euphrasia). Results compiled from multiple publications. Retrieved August 29, 2019, from https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=EUPHR
• Wilkins, D. A. (1963). Plasticity and Establishment in Euphrasia. Annals of Botany, 27(3), 533–552. doi:ten.1093/oxfordjournals.aob.a083869.

---

Related Posts

Cultivation & Conservation Classes

A Grower's Track and Cultivation & Conservation Track were presented at the 2017 and 2019 International Herb Symposium. Both have been made available here with support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. Select a track title beneath to read the class descriptions and listen to the audio recordings. Grower's Track (IHS 2017) Botanical, Macroscopic and Organoleptic Assessment of Herbal Ingredients for cGMP | Steven Yeager This easily-on workshop will provide a comprehensive orientation of botanical, ...
Read More

The Original Medicinal Plant Gatherers & Conservationists

by M. Kat Anderson USDA NRCS Effigy 1. Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). One example of the many medicinal institute species that the American Indians gave not-Indian settlers. Adapted from a 19th century painting.In Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, a television series that ran from 1993 to 1998, the Cheyenne taught a white lady doctor well-nigh various kinds of native medicinal herbs that could exist used to treat human ailments in the frontier town of Colorado Springs, Colorado ...
Read More

malonefatichaddent.blogspot.com

Source: https://unitedplantsavers.org/species-at-risk-list/eyebright-euphrasia-spp-2/

Share this post