''Lithospermum officinale'', or common gromwell or European stoneseed, is a flowering plant species in the family ''

Boraginaceae 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 or ...

'', native to Eurasia. It is the host plant for

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

s of the

monophagous A generalist species is able to thrive in a wide variety of environmental conditions and can make use of a variety of different resources (for example, a heterotroph with a varied diet). A specialist species can thrive only in a narrow range of e ...

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

'' Ethmia dodecea''.

Description

Common gromwell is an erect, downy

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

growing up to 60 – 80 cm tall.Gibbons B, Brough P. 2008. ''Guide to Wildflowers of Britain and Northern Europe''. Philips The unstalked,

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

leaves grow up to 10 cm long and are strongly marked with lateral veins below. The greenish white, funnel-shaped flowers, appearing June – July, measure 3 – 4 mm across and are borne in short, dense

cymose An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

clusters within the leaf

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

s. When in fruit, the

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s form a V-shaped, elongated spray. The fruits comprise 4 shiny white nutlets that measure 3 – 4 mm long and persist well into winter.

Habitat and distribution

The plant is very widely distributed throughout Europe and Asia. It is locally common in the UK, where it is much rarer in the north and west of the country. The favoured habitat includes grassland, scrubland, and open woodland, usually on base-rich and calcareous soils.

In culture and human use

All parts of the plant have been traditionally used as a natural medicinal remedy for various ailments. In India for example, the leaves were once used as a

sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement. They are CNS depressants and interact with brain activity causing its deceleration. Various kinds of sedatives can be distinguished, but t ...

, while the seeds have been administered as a

diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics in ...

, lithotritic,

febrifuge An antipyretic (, from ''anti-'' 'against' and ' 'feverish') is a substance that reduces fever. Antipyretics cause the hypothalamus to override a prostaglandin-induced increase in temperature. The body then works to lower the temperature, which ...

, anti-gout, anti-ovulary and anti-toxic agent as well as an anti-inflammatory for diseases of the urinary tract and for promoting digestion. An herbal tea made from the root and stem, or a decoction of the roots and twigs was once given in the form of a syrup to remedy

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

and

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

. The tea also served as an

antipruritic Antipruritics, abirritants, or anti-itch drugs, are medications that inhibit the itching (Latin: ''pruritus'') often associated with sunburns, allergic reactions, eczema, psoriasis, chickenpox, fungal infections, insect bites and stings like those ...

. Archaeological findings from a gravesite in Poland unearthed a plaster

poultice A poultice, also called a cataplasm, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is spread on cloth and placed over the skin to treat an aching, inflamed, or painful part of the body. It can be used on wounds, such as cuts. 'Poultice' ...

containing the nutlets of ''L. officinale''. The plant has been found to be a potent natural anti-inflammatory and effective agent for healing burn wounds when applied topically, which explains the presence of this species in the poultice discovered.Amiri ZM, Tanideh N, Seddighi A, Mokhtari M, Amini M, Partovi AS, Manafi A, Hashemi SS, Mehrabani D. 2017. The effect of ''Lithospermum officinale'', silver sulfadiazine and alpha ointments in healing of burn wound injuries in rat. ''World J Plast Surg'' 6(3): 313–318. ''L. officinale'' also appears to have held important cosmetic and ornamental value. For example, the roots were once used for colouring fibres and to produce makeup dye. Elsewhere, the well-preserved, intact fruits were found glued onto two wooden tubs found in the Yanghai Tombs of Xinjiang, China, from about 2,500 years ago.Jiang H-E, Li X, Liu C-J, Wang Y-F, Li C-S. 2007. Fruits of ''Lithospermum officinale'' L. (Boraginaceae) used as an early plant decoration (2,500 years BP) in Xinjiang, China. ''Journal of Archaeological Science'' 34: 167 – 170. These nutlets probably had decorative worth. Their lustrous, porcelain-like appearance as well as their hardness also made them suitable and popular for use as beads in

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

and central Europe as far back as the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

period.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile
{{Authority control officinale Plants described in 1753 Flora of Canada Flora of the United States Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus