''Ammi majus'', commonly called bishop's flower, false bishop's weed, laceflower, bullwort, etc., is a member of the carrot family

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus '' Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plan ...

. The plant, which has white lace-like flower clusters, has a large distribution through

Southern Europe Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Alba ...

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

and Central Asia, though it is hypothesized to be native to the Nile River Valley.

Nomenclature

The plant is called by various

common names In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contra ...

: bishop's flower or bishop's weed (false bishop's weed); laceflower, lady's lace or false Queen Anne's lace; bullwort (large bullwort); white dill and greater ammi. It is known in Arabic as ''hirz al-shayateen'' () or ''khella/khilla shaitani'' (). The plant is also introduced into China, where it is called ''da a min qin'' ( zh, 大阿米芹) and cultivated in medicinal farms.

Description

''Ammi majus'' is a herbaceous annual, or rather a

biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it can refer to: * Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and th ...

that behaves like an annual in cultivation. The lower leaves are 1-2-pinnate, upper leaves 2(-3)-pinnate with serrate lobes. The inflorescence is compound

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

; they are white umbrella-shaped flowers like those of Queen Anne's lace, blooming June–July and fruiting July-August.

Distribution

Considered indigenous to Egypt, or parts of Europe and the Middle East/West Asia. It is also found scattered in the British Isles, in North and Central Scotland, widely distributed in the Mediterranean region (including Southern Europe and North Africa), as well as West Africa and

Abyssinia The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historica ...

Uses

In Egypt around 2000 BC, the juice of ''Ammi majus'' was rubbed on patches of

vitiligo Vitiligo is a disorder that causes the skin to lose its color. Specific causes are unknown but studies suggest a link to immune system changes. Signs and symptoms The only sign of vitiligo is the presence of pale patchy areas of depigmen ...

after which patients were encouraged to lie in the sun. In the 13th century, vitiligo was treated with a tincture of honey and the powdered seeds of a plant called "aatrillal," which was abundant in the Nile River Valley. The plant has since been identified as ''A. majus'', but the trade name Aatrillal is still used today to refer to the yellowish-brown powder made from its seeds. ''Ammi majus'' contains significant amounts of

furanocoumarins The furanocoumarins, or furocoumarins, are a class of organic chemical compounds produced by a variety of plants. Most of the plant species found to contain furanocoumarins belong to a handful of plant families. The families Apiaceae and Rutacea ...

bergapten and xanthotoxin (also known as

methoxsalen Methoxsalen, sold under the brand name Oxsoralen among others, is a medication used to treat psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo, and some cutaneous lymphomas in conjunction with exposing the skin to ultraviolet (UVA) light from lamps or sunlight. Methox ...

), two

psoralen Psoralen (also called psoralene) is the parent compound in a family of naturally occurring organic compounds known as the linear furanocoumarins. It is structurally related to coumarin by the addition of a fused furan ring, and may be considered ...

derivatives well known for their photosensitizing effects. Indeed, ''A. majus'' may well be the world's major source of methoxsalen. The practice of using ''Ammi majus'' to treat vitiligo implicitly acknowledges the

hyperpigmentation Hyperpigmentation is the darkening of an area of skin or nails caused by increased melanin. Causes Hyperpigmentation can be caused by sun damage, inflammation, or other skin injuries, including those related to acne vulgaris.James, William; Ber ...

effects caused by exposure to a photosensitizing agent (such as methoxsalen) followed by ultraviolet radiation. An excess of either the photosensitizing agent or subsequent UV exposure can lead to

phytophotodermatitis Phytophotodermatitis, also known as berloque dermatitis or margarita photodermatitis, is a cutaneous phototoxic inflammatory reaction resulting from contact with a light-sensitizing botanical agent followed by exposure to ultraviolet light (from ...

, a serious skin inflammation. Despite this danger, ''A. majus'' is cultivated for its furanocoumarins, which are still used for the treatment of skin disease, particularly the furanocoumarin xanthotoxin also known as "ammoidin" and by the brand name "Oxsoralen".

Cultivation

Like its close relative '' Ammi visnaga'', ''A. majus'' and its

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s are frequently seen in gardens where they are grown from seed annually. The species and the cultivar 'Graceland' have both gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

's Award of Garden Merit. File:Ammi majus flowerhead1 NWS (15367278999).jpg File:Ammi majus leaf1 NWS (14933146884).jpg File:Neuchâtel Herbarium - Ammi majus - NEU000005508.jpg

Explanatory notes

References

;Citations ;Bibliography

External links

* Flora of Lebanon Medicinal plants of Africa Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Western Asia Flora of North Africa Flora of Europe Flora of Egypt Apioideae Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN {{medicinal-plant-stub