REAL

Ethnobotanical, historical and histological evaluation of Helleborus L. genetic resources used in veterinary and human ethnomedicine

Balázs, Viktória Lilla and Filep, Rita and Ambrus, Tünde and Kocsis, Marianna and Farkas, Ágnes and Stranczinger, Szilvia and Papp, Nóra (2020) Ethnobotanical, historical and histological evaluation of Helleborus L. genetic resources used in veterinary and human ethnomedicine. GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION, 67. pp. 781-797. ISSN 0925-9864

[img]
Preview
Text
s10722-019-00876-5.pdf
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

The use of hellebore (Helleborus) species for medical purposes has a long-standing tradition. Our work aimed at providing a historical survey of their medicinal application in Europe, and data on current ethnobotanical use of H. purpurascens Waldst. et Kit. in Transylvania (Romania), compared with earlier records of this region and other European countries. While the chemistry and pharmacology of hellebores have been researched extensively, little is known about their anatomical traits. Thus, we intended to provide a detailed histological analysis of Helleborus odorus Waldst. et Kit., H. purpurascens, and H. niger L., based on transverse sections of aerial parts and root. Our survey revealed that H. purpuras- cens is known for immunotherapy, wounds, and as antiemetic drug in ethnoveterinary medicine, but not in human therapy in the study area. Distinctive histological characters included diverse stele structure in the root; sclerenchymatous bundle caps around compound vascular bundles in the stem and the main leaf veins of H. odorus; and amphistomatic leaves in H. purpurascens. Quantitative vegetative traits also revealed significant differences among species, but they may reflect environmental influences, too. In all three species the sepal was hypostomatic with meso- morphic stomata, while the modified petal comprised a proximal nectar-producing and a distal non-secretory part. Distinctive floral traits included shape of mod- ified petal, presence of papillae and thickness of non- secretory part; as well as ornamentation of tricolpate pollen grains. Our findings suggest that the anatomy of various plant parts varies slightly with each species, including ethnomedicinally known H. purpurascens, even though the basic structure is the same within the genus.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Funding Agency and Grant Number: University of Pecs (PTE); OTKA (Hungarian Scientific Research Fund)Orszagos Tudomanyos Kutatasi Alapprogramok (OTKA) [K 127944]; Research Grant of the University of Pecs [PTE aOK KA-2017-27] Funding text: Open access funding provided by University of Pecs (PTE). This work was supported by a Grant from the OTKA (Hungarian Scientific Research Fund, K 127944), and the Research Grant of the University of Pecs (PTE aOK KA-2017-27). We are grateful for the contributions of the study informants, and for Norbert Mag for the correction of microphotos.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Ethnobotany, Ethnomedicine, Hellebore, History, Histology
Subjects: Q Science / természettudomány > QK Botany / növénytan
R Medicine / orvostudomány > R1 Medicine (General) / orvostudomány általában
SWORD Depositor: MTMT SWORD
Depositing User: MTMT SWORD
Date Deposited: 26 Sep 2022 12:34
Last Modified: 26 Sep 2022 12:34
URI: http://real.mtak.hu/id/eprint/149824

Actions (login required)

Edit Item Edit Item