''Lallemantia iberica'', known commonly as dragon's head, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family,

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...

. The plant has been cultivated for its seeds in southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe since prehistoric times. Originally from the Caucasus and the Middle East, it spread throughout European and eastern countries. Its vernacular name in Iran is balangu shahri. The seeds contain the edible oil known as lallemantia oil. The oil content of the seeds is about 30%, sometimes reaching up to 38%. The oil is used as a substitute for

linseed oil Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil or flax oil (in its edible form), is a colourless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant (''Linum usitatissimum''). The oil is obtained by pressing, sometimes followed by ...

in the production of

varnish Varnish is a clear transparent hard protective coating or film. It is not a stain. It usually has a yellowish shade from the manufacturing process and materials used, but it may also be pigmented as desired, and is sold commercially in various ...

furniture polish Wood finishing refers to the process of refining or protecting a wooden surface, especially in the production of furniture where typically it represents between 5 and 30% of manufacturing costs. Finishing is the final step of the manufacturing ...

ink Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thi ...

paint Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...

soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

, and linoleum. Uses and possibilities Lallemantia iberica has many potentially interesting uses. Traditionally, it is used as a medical plant for the treatment of common cold, coughing, stomach and abdominal pain.Al-Snafi, Ali. (2019). Medical Benefit of Lallemantia Iberica-A Review. To Chemistry Journal. 9. 97-102. The interesting fatty acid pattern of its oil with many mono-acids and high amounts of omega-3-fatty acids, makes it nutritionally interesting. It could be used as preventative measures against cancer and slowing of the aging process and its

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It ...

antibacterial An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of ...

and

antioxidant Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals. This can lead to polymerization and other chain reactions. They are frequently added to industrial products, such as fuels and lubricant ...

effects are of high interest and are currently researched.Biertümpfel, A., T. Graf, G. Reinhold, und R. Schmatz. 2005. Leitlinie zur effizienten und umweltverträglichen Erzeugung von Iberischem Drachenkopf. Thüringer Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft. The plant oil of Lallemantia iberica has a high content of alpha-linoleic acid. This shows great potential in the chemical industry as an epoxidized oil, which can in turn be used for plasticizers and stabilizers in rubber and also in the production of paints, varnishes and linoleum due to its fast drying ability.Haitz, F., Radloff, S., Rupp, S. et al. Chemo-Enzymatic Epoxidation of Lallemantia IbericaSeed Oil: Process Development and Economic-Ecological Evaluation. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 185, 13–33 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-017-2630-1 The seed mucilage of Lallemantia iberica is further investigated as a smart edible film. Cultural practices The autumn

sowing Sowing is the process of planting seeds. An area or object that has had seeds planted in it will be described as a sowed or sown area. Plants which are usually sown Among the major field crops, oats, wheat, and rye are sown, grasses and leg ...

, in comparison with the spring sowing, has positive effect on many parameters. Seed yield per plant,

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

content and yield and antioxidant components of dragon's head showed better results in autumn sowing. Autumn sowing also leads to better results on morphological traits. The seedbed should be fine-grained and reconsolidated, since the dragon's head is a fine seed. After a proper tillage the optimal time for sowing is between mid-march and mid-april, when the temperature is constantly over 2 °C and 3 °C. Light frosts are not considered a major threat to the seedling. Due to its short vegetation period (90-120 days) a later sowing time is also applicable. This will lead to some losses in oil contents. The seed rate should be approximately 15 kg/ha (= 300 to 350 plants/m²). It is necessary to sow as flat as possible, the sowing depth should not exceed 2-3 cm. The seedlings generally emerge after one or two weeks. Fertilizers also have an effect on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of ''Lallemantia iberica''. Yield, yield components (like

concentration, etc.) of dragon's head were improved by the fertilization with thiobacillus and

vermicompost Vermicompost (vermi-compost) is the product of the decomposition process using various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms, to create a mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and ...

. In general this cultivar has a low demand for nitrogen. This means the nitrogen application should not exceed 70 kg N/ha. To sum up, autumn sowing with thiobacillus, varmicompost or NPK fertilizer create a high antioxidant activity. Because the canopy is fast closing (generally three weeks after emergence) often no weed control is necessary. In wet years or on unfavorable locations, there is a risk of Botrytis stem rot. Overly dense sown crops increase the risk of disease. Harvesting is usually carried out with a combined harvester at the beginning of August. The stubble height should be as low as possible, because the seed set starts at approximately 10 cm above the soil. To achieve high storability it is necessary to reach at least 9% humidity. This plant is an annual herb growing to an average height around . The toothed or serrated leaves are in opposite pairs at the stem nodes.

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 emerge from the leaf axils and bear white, lipped flowers each about long. They are pollinated by insects.

References

{{Authority control Lamiaceae