Kochia scoparia
Encyclopedia
Bassia scoparia is a shrub which is native to Eurasia. It has introduced populations in many parts of North America
, where it is found in grassland, prairie, and desert shrub ecosystems. Its vernacular names include burningbush, ragweed, summer cypress, fireball, and Mexican fireweed.
). The seed does not persist in the soil seed bank
; it germinates or dies within about a year.
Bassia scoparia is a C4
plant, specifically of the NADP-ME type.
). Its texture is similar to caviar
, and it also is called "land caviar", "field caviar" and "mountain caviar". In Japan
, tonburi is a delicacy (chinmi
) of Akita prefecture
. After harvesting the seeds are dried. To prepare them, the seeds are boiled and soaked in cold water for about a day, then rubbed by hand to remove the outer skin. The seeds are 1–2 mm in diameter, glossy with a black-green color.
Tonburi also is used in traditional Chinese medicine. It may prevent metabolic disorders such as hyperlipidemia
, hypertension
, obesity
and atherosclerosis
. In a study of mice fed a high-fat diet, an extract of tonburi did limit obesity. Bassia scoparia seeds contain momordin Ic
, a triterpene
saponin
.
for livestock
, and a potential forage crop for dry lands. However, its use is limited by toxicity
when fed in large quantities. Livestock grazing principally on lush stands of Bassia scoparia sometimes experience weight loss, hyperbilirubinemia, photosensitization, and polyuria
. When used as the only feed for weeks, Bassia scoparia hay may cause toxicity in cattle.
It is a known hyperaccumulator of Chromium
, Lead
, Mercury
, Selenium
, Silver
, Zinc
, and Uranium
,
, and as such can be used for phytoremediation
.
, and in 1978, into genus Bassia
by A.J.Scott. Recent phylogenetic research comfirmed, that Kochia has to be included in Bassia
.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, where it is found in grassland, prairie, and desert shrub ecosystems. Its vernacular names include burningbush, ragweed, summer cypress, fireball, and Mexican fireweed.
Biology
It reproduces by seed, dispersed by wind, water, and especially by the whole plant detaching and tumbling in the wind (see TumbleweedTumbleweed
A tumbleweed is the above-ground part of a plant that, once mature and dry, disengages from the root and tumbles away in the wind. Usually, the tumbleweed is the entire plant apart from the roots, but in a few species it is a flower cluster. The tumbleweed habit is most common in steppe and desert...
). The seed does not persist in the soil seed bank
Soil Seed Bank
The soil seed bank refers to the natural storage of seeds, often dormant, within the soil of most ecosystems. The study of soil seed banks started in 1859 when Charles Darwin observed the emergence of seedlings using soil samples from the bottom of a lake. The first scientific paper on the subject...
; it germinates or dies within about a year.
Bassia scoparia is a C4
C4 carbon fixation
C4 carbon fixation is one of three biochemical mechanisms, along with and CAM photosynthesis, used in carbon fixation. It is named for the 4-carbon molecule present in the first product of carbon fixation in these plants, in contrast to the 3-carbon molecule products in plants. fixation is an...
plant, specifically of the NADP-ME type.
Uses
Uses of Bassia scoparia include human food and traditional medicine, forage for livestock, and erosion control.Tonburi
The seeds of Bassia scoparia are eaten as a food garnish called (JapaneseJapanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
). Its texture is similar to caviar
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
, and it also is called "land caviar", "field caviar" and "mountain caviar". In Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, tonburi is a delicacy (chinmi
Chinmi
is a Japanese term meaning literally "rare taste", but more appropriately "delicacy". They are local cuisines that have fallen out of popularity or those cuisines that are peculiar to a certain area. Many involved pickled seafood. The three best known chinmi of Japan are salt-pickled sea urchin...
) of Akita prefecture
Akita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....
. After harvesting the seeds are dried. To prepare them, the seeds are boiled and soaked in cold water for about a day, then rubbed by hand to remove the outer skin. The seeds are 1–2 mm in diameter, glossy with a black-green color.
Tonburi also is used in traditional Chinese medicine. It may prevent metabolic disorders such as hyperlipidemia
Hyperlipidemia
Hyperlipidemia, hyperlipoproteinemia, or hyperlipidaemia is the condition of abnormally elevated levels of any or all lipids and/or lipoproteins in the blood...
, hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
, obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
and atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which an artery wall thickens as a result of the accumulation of fatty materials such as cholesterol...
. In a study of mice fed a high-fat diet, an extract of tonburi did limit obesity. Bassia scoparia seeds contain momordin Ic
Momordin (saponin)
Momordin is one of several saponins derived from oleanolic acid, a triterpenoid. These chemical compounds are found in some plants of the Momordica genus, which includes the bitter melon and the balsam apple Momordin is one of several saponins derived from oleanolic acid, a triterpenoid. These...
, a triterpene
Triterpene
Triterpenes are terpenes consisting of six isoprene units and have the molecular formula C30H48.The pentacyclic triterpenes can be classified into lupane, oleanane or ursane groups.Animal- and plant-derived triterpenes exist, such as:*squalene...
saponin
Saponin
Saponins are a class of chemical compounds, one of many secondary metabolites found in natural sources, with saponins found in particular abundance in various plant species...
.
Forage
The plant is a moderately useful forageForage
Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially...
for livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
, and a potential forage crop for dry lands. However, its use is limited by toxicity
Toxicity
Toxicity is the degree to which a substance can damage a living or non-living organisms. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a substructure of the organism, such as a cell or an organ , such as the liver...
when fed in large quantities. Livestock grazing principally on lush stands of Bassia scoparia sometimes experience weight loss, hyperbilirubinemia, photosensitization, and polyuria
Polyuria
Polyuria is a condition usually defined as excessive or abnormally large production or passage of urine . Frequent urination is sometimes included by definition, but is nonetheless usually an accompanying symptom...
. When used as the only feed for weeks, Bassia scoparia hay may cause toxicity in cattle.
Other
Bassia scoparia is planted for ornament or erosion control.It is a known hyperaccumulator of Chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
, Lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, Mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
, Selenium
Selenium
Selenium is a chemical element with atomic number 34, chemical symbol Se, and an atomic mass of 78.96. It is a nonmetal, whose properties are intermediate between those of adjacent chalcogen elements sulfur and tellurium...
, Silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, Zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
, and Uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
,
, and as such can be used for phytoremediation
Phytoremediation
Phytoremediation Phytoremediation Phytoremediation (from the Ancient Greek , and Latin (restoring balance or remediation) describes the treatment of environmental problems (bioremediation) through the use of plants that mitigate the environmental problem without the need to excavate the...
.
Systematics
The species was first published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus, who named it Chenopodium scoparium. In 1809, it was included into the genus Kochia by Heinrich SchraderHeinrich Schrader
Heinrich Schrader may refer to:*Heinrich Schrader , German botanist*Heinrich Schrader , German Olympic fencer*Heinrich Schrader , Australian VFL footballer and cricketer...
, and in 1978, into genus Bassia
Bassia
Bassia is a plant genus of the Amaranthaceae family.-Description:The species of genus Bassia are annuals or perennial subshrubs. Their leaves are very variable and show different C4 "kochioid" types of leaf anatomy. The flowers are normally inconspicuous, in spike-like inflorescences without...
by A.J.Scott. Recent phylogenetic research comfirmed, that Kochia has to be included in Bassia
Bassia
Bassia is a plant genus of the Amaranthaceae family.-Description:The species of genus Bassia are annuals or perennial subshrubs. Their leaves are very variable and show different C4 "kochioid" types of leaf anatomy. The flowers are normally inconspicuous, in spike-like inflorescences without...
.