''Rubia peregrina'', the common wild madder,
is a
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of t ...
perennial
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 ...
plant species belonging to the
bedstraw and
coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
S ...
family
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules a ...
.
Etymology
The genus name ''Rubia'' derives from the Latin ' meaning "red", as the roots of some species (mainly ''
Rubia tinctorum'') have been used since ancient times as a vegetable red
dye. The
specific epithet is the Latin adjective ' meaning "foreign, alien, exotic, strange."
Description
The stem is woody, hairless, square and climbing and reaches on average long.
[Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982. Vol. II, pag. 379] The evergreen leaves are sessile, glossy, leathery, oval-lanceolate and toothed on the margins. They are arranged in whorls, usually with five or more leaves radiating from a single node. The small flowers have five petals and are pale green-yellowish, about 5–7 mm in diameter,
[ arranged at the top of long stalks. The flowering period extends from April through June.][ The ]hermaphroditic
In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes.
Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have s ...
flowers are pollinated by insects ( entomogamy). The fruits are fleshy green berries
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...
, black when ripe, about in diameter.[
]
Distribution
It is mainly present in Mediterranean Europe (Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
and former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
), in Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
and in North Africa.[
]
Habitat
This stress resistant weed is typical of Mediterranean scrub. It grows in thickets, bushes, hedges, stony grounds and along the roads and paths. It prefers dry soils, at an altitude of above sea level.[
]
Gallery
File:Rubia peregrina3.jpg, Plant of ''Rubia peregrina''
File:Rubia peregrina 1.jpg, Plant of ''Rubia peregrina''
File:Rubia peregrina01.jpg, Close-up on a flowers of ''Rubia peregrina''
File:Rubiaceae - Rubia peregrina-2.JPG, Fruits of ''Rubia peregrina''
File:Rubiaceae - Rubia peregrina-3.JPG, Ripe fruits of ''Rubia peregrina'
File:Rubiaceae - Rubia peregrina-4.JPG, Leaves of ''Rubia peregrina''
Synonyms
*''Rubia anglica'' Huds. (1762)
*''Rubia angustifolia'' L. (1767)
*''Rubia lucida'' L. (1767)
*''Rubia bocconii'' Petagna (1787)
*''Rubia longifolia'' Poir.
Jean Louis Marie Poiret (11 June 1755 in Saint-Quentin7 April 1834 in Paris) was a French clergyman, botanist, and explorer.
From 1785 to 1786, he was sent by Louis XVI to Algeria to study the flora. After the French Revolution, he became a ...
*''Rubia splendens'' Hoffmanns.
Johann Centurius Hoffmann Graf von Hoffmannsegg (23 August 1766 – 13 December 1849) was a German botanist, entomologist and ornithologist.
Hoffmannsegg was born at Rammenau and studied at Leipzig and Göttingen. He travelled through Euro ...
& Link (1824)
*''Rubia requienii'' Duby (1830)
*''Rubia dalmatica'' Scheele
Scheele is a surname of Germanic origin. Notable people with the surname include:
*Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742–1786), German-Swedish pharmaceutical chemist
* George Heinrich Adolf Scheele (1808–1864), German botanist
* Karin Scheele (b. 1968) ...
(1844)
*''Rubia angustifolia var. requienii'' ( Duby) Nyman (1879)
*''Rubia peregrina var. dalmatica'' (Scheele
Scheele is a surname of Germanic origin. Notable people with the surname include:
*Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742–1786), German-Swedish pharmaceutical chemist
* George Heinrich Adolf Scheele (1808–1864), German botanist
* Karin Scheele (b. 1968) ...
) Nyman (1879)
*''Rubia peregrina var. lucida'' (L.) Nyman (1879)
*''Rubia peregrina var. splendens'' (Hoffmanns.
Johann Centurius Hoffmann Graf von Hoffmannsegg (23 August 1766 – 13 December 1849) was a German botanist, entomologist and ornithologist.
Hoffmannsegg was born at Rammenau and studied at Leipzig and Göttingen. He travelled through Euro ...
& Link) Nyman (1879)
*''Rubia erratica'' Bubani (1899)
*''Rubia reiseri'' Halácsy ex Hayek Hayek, Hayki or AlHayki is a surname:
* As a variant spelling of the Czech name Hájek, which originally meant "a grove", it commonly occurs in Czech place names. It occurs among Polish Jews in a Polish language spelling as ''Chajek''.
* The ...
(1930)
*''Rubia peregrina subsp. longifolia'' (Poir.
Jean Louis Marie Poiret (11 June 1755 in Saint-Quentin7 April 1834 in Paris) was a French clergyman, botanist, and explorer.
From 1785 to 1786, he was sent by Louis XVI to Algeria to study the flora. After the French Revolution, he became a ...
) O.Bolòs (1969)
*''Rubia peregrina var. requienii'' (Duby) Cardona (1974)
*''Rubia peregrina subsp. requienii'' (Duby) Cardona & Sierra (1980)
*'' Rubia agostinhoi'' Dans. et Silva
Silva is a surname in Portuguese language, Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Portugal and Brazil. It is derived from the Latin word , meaning "forest" or "woodland". It is the family name of the House of Silva.
The name is also widespread i ...
*''Rubia peregrina subsp. agostinhoi'' (Dans. et Silva) Valdés et G.López[ Anthos]
/ref>[ Kew Gardens]
/ref>
References
Plants for a Future
*M. Antonielli, M. Ceccarelli, N. Poccesch
''Rubia peregrina'' L.: a stress resistant weed
External links
Acta plantarum
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3095290
peregrina
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus