Chlorogalum pomeridianum
Encyclopedia
Chlorogalum pomeridianum, the Wavy-leafed Soap Plant or California soaproot, is the most common and most widely distributed of the Soap Plant
s, Soaproots or Amoles, which make up the genus
Chlorogalum of flowering plant
s. It is found in most of California
, apart from the Sierra Nevada and the deserts, and also in south-western Oregon
. It is occasionally known as the "wild potato", but given the plant's lack of either resemblance or relationship to the potato
, this name is not recommended. Wavy-leafed Soap Plant grows on rock bluffs, grassland
s, chaparral
, and in open woodlands.
that grows from a bulb
, which is brown, between 7 and 15 cm in diameter, slightly elongated, and covered in thick, coarse fibers. The leaves grow from the base of the plant, and can be from 20 to 70 cm long and 6 to 25 mm wide. As the plant's name indicates, their edges are generally wavy, though this is not always particularly noticeable. The flowers are borne on a long stem, normally longer than the leaves, and are from 15 to 30mm long. The six petals (actually only three of them are petal
s in the technical sense; the other three are sepal
s) are up to 35mm long and curving. They are typically white but have a noticeable mid-vein which can be purple or green in color. The six stamen
s are large and noticeable, and yellow or orange. The flowers are bisexual (include both female and male parts). They open only in the late afternoon or evening, remaining open during the night but closing by the morning. Pollination is by evening- or night-flying insect
s.
people (e.g. Miwok
tribe) and early European settlers used the bulbs as a kind of soap
; this is the origin of the plant's name. It was particularly used for washing hair, since it was held to be effective against dandruff
. Extracts of the bulbs could also be used as a sealant or glue.
The young leaves can be used as food, but the saponins in the bulbs make these poisonous. However saponins are very poorly absorbed by the body and usually pass straight through, and in any case they can be destroyed by thorough cooking. The Miwok
people roasted and ate the bulbs as a winter food. In February 1847 Patrick Breen of the ill-fated Donner Party
recorded that a Native American gave the starving settler some "roots resembling Onions in shape [that] taste some like a sweet potatoe, all full of little tough fibres." Breen's son later called the roots "California soap-root" -- almost certainly C. pomeridianum.
Saponins are much more toxic to some other animals than they are to humans. Fish
are particularly susceptible, and the bulb juices were used to kill or stun them so they could be caught easily. The bulbs also had various medicinal uses, both external (e.g. for making a poultice to be used as an antiseptic
, or as a rub in cases of rheumatism
) and internal (decoctions were used for a range of purposes, including as a diuretic
, as a laxative
and against stomach ache). The fibers surrounding the bulb were widely used, bound together, to make small brushes.
The basionym
of the species was Scilla pomeridianum. It has also been known as Loathoe pomeridiana.
Soap plant
The Soap Plants, Soaproots or Amoles are the genus Chlorogalum of flowering plants. Less common names for them include Soap Lilies. They are endemic to western North America, from Oregon to Baja California, and are mostly found in California.The Soap Plants grow as perennial plants, from a bulb,...
s, Soaproots or Amoles, which make up the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Chlorogalum of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s. It is found in most of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, apart from the Sierra Nevada and the deserts, and also in south-western Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. It is occasionally known as the "wild potato", but given the plant's lack of either resemblance or relationship to the potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
, this name is not recommended. Wavy-leafed Soap Plant grows on rock bluffs, grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s, chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
, and in open woodlands.
Description
Like all the Soap Plants, the Wavy-leafed Soap Plant is a perennialPerennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
that grows from a bulb
Bulb
A bulb is a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The leaves often function as food storage organs during dormancy.A bulb's leaf bases, known as scales, generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable the plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is...
, which is brown, between 7 and 15 cm in diameter, slightly elongated, and covered in thick, coarse fibers. The leaves grow from the base of the plant, and can be from 20 to 70 cm long and 6 to 25 mm wide. As the plant's name indicates, their edges are generally wavy, though this is not always particularly noticeable. The flowers are borne on a long stem, normally longer than the leaves, and are from 15 to 30mm long. The six petals (actually only three of them are petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s in the technical sense; the other three are sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s) are up to 35mm long and curving. They are typically white but have a noticeable mid-vein which can be purple or green in color. The six stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s are large and noticeable, and yellow or orange. The flowers are bisexual (include both female and male parts). They open only in the late afternoon or evening, remaining open during the night but closing by the morning. Pollination is by evening- or night-flying insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s.
Subspecies
Three varieties are recognized:- Chlorogalum pomeridianum var. divaricatum, endemic to some coastal regions of California (the Central Coast and southern parts of the North Coast), and only found at elevations below about 100 metres.
- C. p. var. minus, found in the inner north and outer south Pacific Coast RangesPacific Coast RangesThe Pacific Coast Ranges and the Pacific Mountain System are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the West Coast of North America from Alaska south to Northern and Central Mexico...
of California, and the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay AreaThe San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. This variety has a less fibrous bulb than the others. - C. p. var. pomeridianum, found throughout the range of the species.
Uses
The juices of the bulb contain saponins that form a lather when mixed with water, and both Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
people (e.g. Miwok
Miwok
Miwok can refer to any one of four linguistically related groups of Native Americans, native to Northern California, who spoke one of the Miwokan languages in the Utian family...
tribe) and early European settlers used the bulbs as a kind of soap
Soap
In chemistry, soap is a salt of a fatty acid.IUPAC. "" Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. . Compiled by A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford . XML on-line corrected version: created by M. Nic, J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN...
; this is the origin of the plant's name. It was particularly used for washing hair, since it was held to be effective against dandruff
Dandruff
Dandruff is the shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp . Dandruff is sometimes caused by frequent exposure to extreme heat and cold. As it is normal for skin cells to die and flake off, a small amount of flaking is normal and common; about 487,000 cells/cm2 get released normally after...
. Extracts of the bulbs could also be used as a sealant or glue.
The young leaves can be used as food, but the saponins in the bulbs make these poisonous. However saponins are very poorly absorbed by the body and usually pass straight through, and in any case they can be destroyed by thorough cooking. The Miwok
Miwok
Miwok can refer to any one of four linguistically related groups of Native Americans, native to Northern California, who spoke one of the Miwokan languages in the Utian family...
people roasted and ate the bulbs as a winter food. In February 1847 Patrick Breen of the ill-fated Donner Party
Donner Party
The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada...
recorded that a Native American gave the starving settler some "roots resembling Onions in shape [that] taste some like a sweet potatoe, all full of little tough fibres." Breen's son later called the roots "California soap-root" -- almost certainly C. pomeridianum.
Saponins are much more toxic to some other animals than they are to humans. Fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
are particularly susceptible, and the bulb juices were used to kill or stun them so they could be caught easily. The bulbs also had various medicinal uses, both external (e.g. for making a poultice to be used as an antiseptic
Antiseptic
Antiseptics are antimicrobial substances that are applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putrefaction...
, or as a rub in cases of rheumatism
Rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...
) and internal (decoctions were used for a range of purposes, including as a diuretic
Diuretic
A diuretic provides a means of forced diuresis which elevates the rate of urination. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics increase the excretion of water from bodies, although each class does so in a distinct way.- Medical uses :...
, as a laxative
Laxative
Laxatives are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stool, most often taken to treat constipation. Certain stimulant, lubricant, and saline laxatives are used to evacuate the colon for rectal and/or bowel examinations, and may be supplemented by enemas under...
and against stomach ache). The fibers surrounding the bulb were widely used, bound together, to make small brushes.
The basionym
Basionym
Basionym is a term used in botany, regulated by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature...
of the species was Scilla pomeridianum. It has also been known as Loathoe pomeridiana.