Takhtajaniantha tau-saghyz explained

Takhtajaniantha tau-saghyz is a species of plant in the family Asteraceae.^[1]

It is endemic to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan^[2] and the Karatau Mountains of Kazakhstan^[3] in Central Asia.

Uses

Takhtajaniantha tau-saghyz is of interest as a source of latex suitable for making natural rubber,^{[4] [5]} with latex (in old specimens on average 20%) contained in large roots and underground stems extending from them. The Soviet Union cultivated this species, together with Taraxacum hybernum and Taraxacum kok-saghyz, on a large scale between 1931 and 1950—notably during World War II—as an emergency source of rubber when supplies of rubber from Hevea brasiliensis in Southeast Asia were threatened.

Notes and References

1. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. Flora SSSR; 1934-1964 (USSR).
2. Web site: National Gene Bank of Tunisia: Scorzonera tau-saghyz report. GRIN.gov .
3. Web site: Gaister . Aron . 1934 . ТАУ-САГЫЗ . 2022-04-09 . Сельскохозяйственный словарь-справочник . ru . Словари и энциклопедии на Академике.
4. Bonner, James, and Arthur W. Galston. The physiology and biochemistry of rubber formation in plants. December 1947, 13(10):543-596. The Botanical Review.
5. Buranov, Anvar U., and Burkhon J. Elmuradov. Extraction and Characterization of Latex and Natural Rubber from Rubber-Bearing Plants. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2010 58(2):734-743.