''Scopolia'' is a genus of four species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

s in the family

Solanaceae The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and or ...

, native to

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and

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. The genus is named after Giovanni Scopoli (1723–88), a

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ean naturalist. The genus has a disjunct distribution, with two recognised species in

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, (including the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historica ...

), and two species in

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...

. The two European species are: *'' Scopolia carniolica''

Jacq. Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin (16 February 172726 October 1817) was a scientist who studied medicine, chemistry and botany. Biography Born in Leiden in the Netherlands, he studied medicine at Leiden University, then moved first to Par ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and the

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*'' Scopolia caucasica'' Kolesn. ex Kreyer of the

and the two Asiatic species are: *'' Scopolia lutescens'' Y.N. Lee of

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*'' Scopolia japonica'' Maxim. of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

The four species in the equally medicinal genus '' Anisodus'' *'' Anisodus tanguticus'' ( Maxim.) Pascher *'' Anisodus luridus'' Link ex Spreng. *'' Anisodus carniolicoides'' (C.Y.Wu & C.Chen) D'Arcy & Z.Y.Zhang *'' Anisodus acutangulus'' C.Y.Wu & C.Chen have in the past been placed in the genus Scopolia, as has the monotypic genus Atropanthe with its single species '' Atropanthe sinensis'' Pascher.Germplasm Resources Information Networ
''Scopolia''
/ref> '' Scopolia carniolica'' - the longest-known species and the one with the westernmost distribution - is a creeping

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 ...

, with light green leaves and dull reddish-purple flowers (cream in the attractive and more ornamental variety ''hladnikiana'', sometimes cultivated as a decorative plant). Scopolia's extract (which contains a form of the alkaloid

scopolamine Scopolamine, also known as hyoscine, or Devil's Breath, is a natural or synthetically produced tropane alkaloid and anticholinergic drug that is formally used as a medication for treating motion sickness and postoperative nausea and vomi ...

) is used in at least one commercial stomach remedy ( Inosea, produced by

Sato Pharmaceutical is a Japanese pharmaceutical company. Sato Pharmaceutical's main focus is on over-the-counter medicines. The company's products are sold in 14 countries around the world. The company's customer bases are located in Asia Asia (, ) is ...

). The extract is an anti-spasmodic in low doses and may be used to relax smooth muscle tissue or prevent motion-sickness induced nausea; in higher doses it is a poison having hallucinogenic and memory-inhibiting effects. Other alkaloids found in ''Scopolia carniolica'' include cuscohygrine,

hyoscyamine Hyoscyamine (also known as daturine or duboisine) is a naturally occurring tropane alkaloid and plant toxin. It is a secondary metabolite found in certain plants of the family Solanaceae, including henbane, mandrake, angel's trumpets, jims ...

and atroscine. The coumarin

phenylpropanoid The phenylpropanoids are a diverse family of organic compounds that are synthesized by plants from the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine. Their name is derived from the six-carbon, aromatic phenyl group and the three-carbon propene tail of ...

umbelliferone Umbelliferone, also known as 7-hydroxycoumarin, hydrangine, skimmetine, and ''beta''-umbelliferone, is a natural product of the coumarin family. It absorbs ultraviolet light strongly at several wavelengths. There are some indications that this c ...

and

scopoletin Scopoletin is a coumarin. It found in the root of plants in the genus ''Scopolia'' such as ''Scopolia carniolica'' and ''Scopolia japonica'', in chicory, in ''Artemisia scoparia'', in the roots and leaves of stinging nettle ('' Urtica dioica''), i ...

have been isolated from the roots of ''Scopolia japonica''.

Comparison of ''Scopolia carniolica'' with ''Atropa belladonna''

The existence of the synonym ''Scopolia atropoides'' (i.e. "Atropa-like Scopolia") for ''Scopolia carniolica'' demonstrates the perceived similarity between ''Scopolia carniolica'' and its better-known relative Deadly Nightshade (''Atropa belladonna''). The most obvious dissimilarity lies in the respective fruits, that of Scopolia being a pyxidium (i.e. a dry, pot-like capsule with an operculum (lid)) while that of Atropa is a juicy, glistening, jet-black berry bearing a superficial resemblance to a cherry - indeed this pyxidium / berry dichotomy constitutes the feature separating the genus Atropa into a subtribe of its own within the Solanaceous tribe Hyoscyameae: all other genera in tribe Hyoscyameae have the same type of dry, pyxidial capsule as Scopolia. Other points of dissimilarity include: *Pedicel type: ''Scopolia carniolica'', long, slender and delicate / ''Atropa belladonna'', shorter and broadening toward the calyx - particularly at fruiting. *Calyx type: ''Scopolia carniolica'', cup-shaped, with slight peaks rather than distinct lobes / ''Atropa belladonna'' distinctly lobed, the individual lobes somewhat leaf-like and these lobes spreading to make the calyx star-shaped in fruit. *Colour of corolla: ''Scopolia carniolica'', exterior: purplish-brown striped longitudinally with cream veins, interior: cream, except for some dark venation at the very base / ''Atropa belladonna'', dull purple shading to green netted with darker veins at the base. *Glabrescence / pubescence: ''Scopolia carniolica'', glabrous (hairless), the corolla often having a glossy, "enameled" appearance / ''Atropa belladonna'' pubescent (hairy), the corolla and calyx being clothed in short trichomes (hairs) - though less so in those of its eastern subspecies ''A. belladonna ssp. caucasica''. *Corolla shape: ''Scopolia carniolica'', simple, un-lobed, straight-sided bell / ''Atropa belladonna'' urceolate (= urn-shaped) bell bearing short but distinct lobes, somewhat recurved. *Pistil: ''Scopolia carniolica'', straight and shorter than corolla / ''Atropa belladonna'', curved and exserted (=protruding beyond corolla).

Gallery

File:Scopolia carniolica Finland 2016-04-30.jpg, ''Scopolia carniolica'' fresh Spring growth with abundant flowers, old

arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

. File:Scopolia japonica-03.jpg, ''Scopolia japonica'' (Common name in Japanese: 走りどころ Hashiri-dokoro), plant in flower,

. File:Eykman1883-Scopoliae Rhizoma.jpg, ''Scopoliae Rhizoma'' (root of ''Scopolia japonica'')

Comparison of ''Scopolia carniolica'' with ''Atropa belladonna''

Gallery

References

Further reading