''Gunnera tinctoria'', known as giant rhubarb or Chilean rhubarb, is a flowering plant species native to southern Chile and neighbouring zones in Argentina. It is unrelated to

rhubarb Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks ( petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of ''Rheum'' in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The whole plant – a herbaceous perennial growing from short, thick rhizo ...

, as the two plants belong into different

orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

, but looks similar from a distance and has similar culinary uses. It is a large-leaved perennial plant that grows to more than two metres tall. It has been introduced to many parts of the world as an ornamental plant and in some countries (for instance New Zealand, Great Britain and Ireland) it has spread from gardens and is becoming a weed problem. It is known under the

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

: ''Gunnera chilensis'' Lam. and ''Gunnera scabra''

Ruiz The Spanish surname Ruiz originates from the Germanic personal name " Hrodric" which is composed of the elements "Hrōd", meaning "renown", and "rīc", meaning "power(ful)", thus "famous ruler". Ruiz is a patronymic from the personal name Ruy, a sh ...

& Pav.

Taxonomy

It was first described in 1782 by Juan Ignacio Molina as ''Panke tinctoria'', and was transferred to the genus, '' Gunnera'', in 1805 by Charles-François Brisseau de Mirbel.

Description

''Gunnera tinctoria'' is a giant, clump-forming herbaceous perennial. The leaves can grow up to 2.5m across, cordate and palmate with up to 9-lobed margins.Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012. ''Webb's An Irish Flora'' Cork University Press It has erect spikes of cone-shaped inflorescences (to 1m) from spring to early summer, with small flowers. The fruit is orange. The number of seeds is estimated from 80,000 per seedhead to 250,000 per plant. Gunnera Tinctoria flowering Stevage

Habitat

Stream and roadsides.

Uses

In its native Chile, where it is called ''nalca'' or ''pangue'', it is used in a similar way to European rhubarb: the stalks are eaten fresh or cooked into jam or cordial. The leaves are used in the preparation of the traditional Chilean dish

curanto Curanto (from arn, kurantu 'stony') is a traditional Chilote method of cooking food using heated rocks buried in a earth oven that is covered with pangue leaves and turf. The fundamental components are seafood, potatoes, along with other traditi ...

As an invasive species

In parts of New Zealand the Chilean rhubarb has become a recognised pest plant. For instance in Taranaki, on the west coast of the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

it was spread to riverbeds, coastal cliffs and forest margins.Giant problems for Taranaki
; especially the pictures of ''Gunnera tinctoria'' on seacliffs (p. 17) ''G. tinctoria'' is on the National Pest Plant Accord. Under Section 52 and 53 of the Biosecurity Act, it is an offence to knowingly propagate, distribute, spread, sell, offer for sale.Department of Conservation 2005, p. 3 In Great Britain it has become well-established and sometimes problematic in western districts and appears to be spreading. In the west of Ireland, ''G. tinctoria'' is a major invasive species,Guiry, M.D., John, D.M., Rindi, F and McCarthy, T.K. (eds) 2007. ''New Survey of Clare Island 6: The Freshwater and Terrestrial Algae.'' Royal Irish Academy. in particular on Achill Island and on Corraun Peninsula,

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

. Its large leaves create dense shade, preventing other species from germinating or growing. Chilean rhubarb is classified in the European Union as an invasive species of Union concern, and it is illegal to import, grow, or sell it within the EU. Gunnera tinctoria - Pto Varas

Similar species

A similar species is ''

Gunnera manicata ''Gunnera manicata'', known as Brazilian giant-rhubarb or giant rhubarb, is a species of flowering plant in the family Gunneraceae from the coastal Serra do Mar Mountains of Santa Catarina, Parana and Rio Grande do Sul States, Brazil. It is a ...

'' (Brazilian giant rhubarb). This species may also be invasive.

In popular culture

In October of 2019, photos of a produce vendor in

Puerto Montt Puerto Montt (Mapuche: Meli Pulli) is a port city and commune in southern Chile, located at the northern end of the Reloncaví Sound in the Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region, 1,055 km to the south of the capital, Santiago. The commune spa ...

dressing himself in nalca leaves began circulating on Chilean social media under the name "Nalcaman". Because these photos were being shared around the same time as the beginning of the 2019–20 Chilean protests, Nalcaman has since become an element of the iconography surrounding Chile's anti-government protests.The Clinic
"Fotos épicas: Todos los superhéroes que han aparecido en las protestas en Chile"
'' The Clinic'', Santiago, 6 November 2019. Retrieved on 10 February 2020. Carretera austral

Notes

* The blue-green alga '' Nostoc'' is a symbiont in ''Gunnera''.

References

External links

''Gunnera tinctoria''

''Gunnera tinctoria''
at Biosecurity New Zealand
images
{{Taxonbar, from=Q847582 tinctoria Flora of Chile Edible plants Garden plants