''Andersonglossum virginianum'', known as southern wild comfrey, is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

borage family Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the orde ...

native to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. It is also sometimes called blue houndstongue. Formerly placed in the genus ''

Cynoglossum ''Cynoglossum'' is a genus of small-flowered plants in the family Boraginaceae (borage family). ''Cynoglossum officinale'', the common hound's-tongue, is a native of Asia, Africa, and Europe. It has been introduced into North America, and it is ...

'', it was transferred to the genus '' Andersonglossum'' in 2015.

Distribution

''Andersonglossum virginianum'' is native to the

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...

. It densely populates the central and southeastern parts of the U.S. and is often found in open uplands, such as in southern New England, from New York to Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and from the south to Florida. A closely related species, '' Andersonglossum boreale'' is disappearing from the southern part of its range in the United States.

Description

''Andersonglossum virginianum'' is an erect, unbranched perennial with rough fine hair on its leaves and stem. Their leaves are simple, entire, and have an alternate pattern. The leaves are denser at the lower end of the stem and they get smaller going up the stem. It has two to six racemes. The flowers have five deep lobes that are connected to a superior ovary which in turn is connected to the style. The flowers have rounded, light blue corollas that overlap each other. The corollas alternate with stamen with anthers. Unlike ''A. virginianum'', ''Andersonglossum boreale'' has petioles on its cauline leaves and its corolla lobes are not rounded and do not overlap. It, in general, is a smaller plant.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloid Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), sometimes referred to as necine bases, are a group of naturally occurring alkaloids based on the structure of pyrrolizidine. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are produced by plants as a defense mechanism against insect he ...

s, hepatoxins capable of affecting grazing animals and humans, are synthesized by many borages including ''Andersonglossum officinale''. Presumably this provides some protection against generalist herbivores. Botanists suspect that ''C. virginianum'' may also contain some of these alkaloids. ;Leaves * 10–20 cm long * 2.5–7 cm wide * Alternate * Simple * Entire * Not margined * Leaves get smaller going up the branch, towards the apical meristem

Reproduction

''Andersonglossum virginianum'' forms above-ground foliage from a taproot every spring around May. Plants that do not flower grow more leaves in a rosette. The flowering stem grows from the center of the rosette. It is a

monoecious Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy. Monoecy is conne ...

plant which is

self-compatible Self-incompatibility (SI) is a general name for several genetic mechanisms that prevent self-fertilization in sexually reproducing organisms, and thus encourage outcrossing and allogamy. It is contrasted with separation of sexes among individuals ...

. It flowers from May to June and produces fruits from July to August. The flowers produce four grayish brown seeds that adhere to animals. ;Flowers * Flower size: 8–12 mm * Flower color: Pale blue * Pistil: superior ovary, deeply lobed into four parts. * Corolla: 5-8mm wide, light blue, sympetalous, short tube, lobes oblong and do not overlap. * Calyx: 1–3 mm ;Fruit * 1-4 nutlets per flower * 3.5-5mm each with one seed * prickly * convex surface * protruding horizontally * no margin

Medicinal uses

Herbalists from the nineteenth-century have suggested that ''A. virginianum'' may possibly be a replacement or a substitute for ''

Symphytum officinale ''Symphytum officinale'' is a perennial flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. Along with thirty four other species of ''Symphytum'', it is known as comfrey. To differentiate it from other members of the genus ''Symphytum'', this species is ...

'' (also known as comfrey). For a long time, ''A. virginianum'' has been used to help treat wounds and to flush out any internal digestive disorders and respiratory infections. It also acts as a sedative medication. Because of one of the active substances in the plant, large doses of it should not be taken because it can cause liver problems.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q59239915, from2=Q5199965 virginianum Flora of the United States Medicinal plants of North America Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus