Helosciadium nodiflorum explained

Helosciadium nodiflorum[1] (synonym: Apium nodiflorum), fool's watercress, is a flowering plant found in ditches or streams, as well as fresh and brackish-water wetlands native to western Europe. It is not poisonous to humans but it could be easily confused with the allegedly poisonous lesser water parsnip.

Description

Helosciadium nodiflorum is a low-growing or prostrate hairless perennial up to 1 m tall, with a thick, hollow, faintly ridged stem which, when lying down (procumbent) produces roots at the nodes. It has glossy pinnate leaves, each of which has 4-6 opposite pairs of toothed, oval to lanceolate leaflets that are slightly paler green on the undersides. There are ridges at the nodes of the leaflets which are often paler than the rhachis and look like rings. (Note, this is different from lesser water-parsnip, which has a ring on the petiole.) The petioles are hollow with a distinctive single groove on upper surface, and may be streaked with red/purple lines; they are laterally inflated towards the base and clasp the stem.[2] The crushed leaves smell of carrot.

Taxonomy

In 2010 a taxonomic revision demonstrated that the genus Apium was polyphyletic and needed to be split into three genera. Five of the 7 European species of Apium were therefore moved to the genus Helosciadium, as had first been proposed by Wilhelm Koch in 1824. Apium nodiflorum was among them, and is therefore now correctly called Helosciadium nodiflorum W.D.J. Koch.[3]

The genus is noted for the high rate of hybridization between its species, and the following hybrids have been described:

Distribution and habitat

Helosciadium nodiflorum is common throughout England, Wales and Ireland but much less so in Scotland.[8] It often grows with watercress in wet places. It blooms in July and August and is found in wet habitats including ditches, springs, fens and ponds.[9] [10] The species is also widely documented from brackish estuarine/salt marsh habitats.[11]

Uses

Wild fool's watercress has been traditionally harvested and consumed in several Mediterranean countries, including Spain, Italy, Portugal and Morocco[12] The edible young leaves and tender shoots can be used raw in salads, boiled, or used as a condiment in soups and other dishes.[13] [14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Helosciadium nodiflorum (L.) W.D.J.Koch | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science .
  2. Book: Rose . Francis . The Wild Flower Key . 2006 . Frederick Warne . London. 978-0-7232-5175-0.
  3. Ronse . A. . Popper . Z.A. . Preston . J.C. . Watson . M.F. . Taxonomic revision of European Apium L. s.l.: Helosciadium W.D.J.Koch restored . Plant Systematics and Evolution . 2010 . 287 . 1–2 . 1–17 . 10.1007/s00606-010-0284-3. 2010PSyEv.287....1R . 21921727 .
  4. Desjardins. Stuart D.. Leslie. Alan C.. Stace. Clive A.. Schwarzacher. Trude. Bailey. John P.. 2015. Intergeneric hybridisation between Berula erecta and Helosciadium nodiflorum (Apiaceae). Taxon. en. 64. 4. 784–794. 10.12705/644.9. 1996-8175.
  5. Desjardins. Stuart D.. 2016-09-01. Molecular confirmation of Helosciadium × moorei (H. inundatum × H. nodiflorum ; Apiaceae) from County Cork, Ireland. New Journal of Botany. en. 6. 2–3. 90–97. 10.1080/20423489.2016.1271294. 2016NJBot...6...90D . 90980061. 2042-3489.
  6. Desjardins. Stuart D.. Shaw. Andrew G.. Webb. Judith A.. 2020-02-26. Hybridisation and introgression in British Helosciadium (Apiaceae).. British & Irish Botany. en. 2. 1. 27–42. 10.33928/bib.2020.02.027. 2632-4970. free.
  7. Rita. Juan. Capó. Miquel. Moragues. Eva. Bota. Josefina. Cursach. Joana. 2018-02-01. Hybridization processes in an introduced subpopulation of an endangered plant: Management strategies to guarantee the conservation of Helosciadium bermejoi (Apiaceae). Journal for Nature Conservation. en. 41. 26–34. 10.1016/j.jnc.2017.10.006. 2018JNatC..41...26R . 1617-1381.
  8. http://www.ukwildflowers.com/Web_pages/apium_nodiflorum_fools_water_cress.htm Apium nodiflorum
  9. http://www.wildflowersofireland.net/plant_detail.php?id_flower=393&Wildflower=Fool's-water-cress Fool's-water-cress
  10. http://www.brc.ac.uk/plantatlas/index.php?q=plant/apium-nodiflorum Apium nodiflorum (Fool's-water-cress)
  11. Web site: https://envirolink.govt.nz/assets/Envirolink/1624-HZLC127-Manawatu-Wanganui-Estuaries-Habitat-Mapping-Vulnerability-Assessment-and-Monitoring-Recommendations-Related-to-Issues-of-Eutrophication-and-Sedimentation.pdf . envirolink.govt.nz . 7 September 2021.
  12. Book: de Cortes Sanchez-Mata . Maria . Tardio . Javier . Mediterranean Wild Edible Plants: Ethnobotany and Food Composition Tables . 13 April 2016 . Springer . 978-1-4939-3327-3.
  13. Parada . M . Carrió . E . Vallès . J . Ethnobotany of food plants in the Alt Empordà region (Catalonia, Iberian Peninsula) . Journal of Applied Botany and Food Quality . 2011 . 84 . 11–25 .
  14. Guarrera . P.M. . Savo . V . Wild food plants used in traditional vegetable mixtures in Italy . Journal of Ethnopharmacology . 2016 . 185 . 202–234 . 10.1016/j.jep.2016.02.050 . 26944238 .

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