Genus of the Week
Week of July 13-19
This page has been created for people who want to learn more about plants, especially in the context of their taxonomy (Latin names, etc.). This is by no means an exhaustive list of all available Web resources on a particular genus.
Visit the Land of the Glandular Trichomes,
a microscopic look at plants in the Lamiaceae family.
This week's genus:
Argemone
Subclass: Dicotyledoneae
Superorder: Magnoliidae
Order: Papaverales
Family: Papaveraceae
Number of Species: at least 16, with several subspecies
Plants in the genus Argemone are native to America. The leaves and stems of these plants
are often covered with prickles, hence the common name Prickly Poppy. Typical of the Papaveraceae
family, these plants usually exude a milky or yellowish sap when wounded. The seeds of A.
mexicana contain oils that can be used to make soap.
Here are a few links to images and descriptions of different species:
- Visit the Lycaeum graphic archives for an image and growing tips for
A. mexicana (Chicalote or Prickly Poppy).
- Stop by the PhytochemDB, brought to you by the USDA, for a complete listing of the
chemicals found in A. mexicana. Then visit the EthnobotDB to see how
seven different Argemone species were used to treat ailments.
- The Vascular Plant Image Gallery at Texas A&M Unviersity has not
one, but two images of
Argemone.
- The Wildflowers of Texas web site has a nice image of
A. albiflora (White Prickly Poppy).
Another image of this plant can be found on Michael Renfroe's Home Page.
- The University of Hawaii has two beautiful photos of
A. glauca ("pua kala"), an endemic species of that state.
- The Illustrated Guide to Arizona Weeds (from the University of Arizona) discusses the
morphology and distribution of
A. intermedia (Bluestem Pricklepoppy) and A. platyceras (Crested Pricklepoppy).
Don't forget to click on the -gigantic- line drawing!
- The Florida Agricultural Information Retrieval System (FAIRS) has a
weed guide for Mexican Poppy (Argemone sp.) that includes information about the toxicity
of this species.
References:
- Heywood, V.H., ed. Flowering Plants of the World. New York, Oxford University Press: 1993.
- Neiring, William A. and Nancy C. Olmstead., eds. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Alfred A. Knopf, New York: 1979.
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