Aerva javanica

Aerva javanica, the kapok bush or desert cotton, is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It has a native distribution incorporating much of Africa (including Madagascar), and the south-west and south of Asia, and it has become adventitious in northern Australia.[2][3]

Aerva javanica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Aerva
Species:
A. javanica
Binomial name
Aerva javanica
(Burm.f.) Shult.
Synonyms[1]

Achyranthes javanica Pers.
Aerva tomentosa Forssk.
Aerva persica (Burm. f.) Merr.
Aerva wallichii Moq.
Celosia lanata L.
Iresine javanica Burm.f.
Iresine persica Burm.f.

Description
Aerva javanica (Burm.f.) Schult. in the Pilbara, Western Australia

The plant is herbaceous, multi-stemmed and soft-wooded and bears broad leaves; it often has an erect habit and grows to a height of about 1.6 metres (5 ft 3 in). In Western Australia it tends to grow in sandy soils especially along drainage lines. It flowers between January and October.[4] Diplospory, a type of Agamospermy, occurs during the development of female gametophyte in the ovule and hence reduction division does not take place in the Megaspore mother cell. The diploid egg is unfertilized and forms the embryo. Hence daughter plants are exactly clones of the mother.

The species uses C4 carbon fixation.[5]

Uses

This herb is deep rooted, and is used as soil binder in desert reclamation.[6] It is used for fuel and for fodder for goats. In traditional medicine the seeds are believed to cure headaches. A gargle is made from the plant to try to treat toothache.[7]

The plant has naturalised in northern regions of Australia, as an alien introduction, and is cultivated and utilised by the indigenous peoples. The thick, white inflorescences have traditionally been harvested in Arabia for stuffing cushions and saddle pads.[8][9] Today, the soft fibres are still used as kapok for pillows. It is called Bilhangga in the languages of the Yindjibarndi and Ngarluma people, the English term is Kapok Bush.[10]

References
  1. Aerva javanica at Tropicos
  2. "Aerva javanica". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  3. "Aerva javanica (Burm.f.) Schult. Kapok Bush". FloraBase. Western Australian Herbarium. 14 August 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  4. "Aerva javanica (Burm.f.) Schult". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  5. Sage, R.F.; Sage, T.L.; Pearcy, R.W.; Borsch, T. (2007). "The taxonomic distribution of C4 photosynthesis in Amaranthaceae sensu stricto". American Journal of Botany. 94 (12): 1992–2003. doi:10.3732/ajb.94.12.1992. ISSN 0002-9122. PMID 21636394.
  6. L R Burdak (1982): Recent advances in desert afforestation, Dehradun, p. 66
  7. Muhammad Qasim Samejo; Shahabuddin Memon; Muhammad Iqbal Bhanger; Khalid Mohammed Khan (2011). "Chemical Compositions of the Essential oil of Aerva javanica Leaves and Stems". Pak. J. Anal. Environ. Chem. 13 (1): 48–52. ISSN 1996-918X.
  8. M.A. Zahran & A.J. Willis, The Vegetation of Egypt, Hong Kong 1992, pp. 187-188 ISBN 978-0-412-31510-7
  9. James P. Mandaville, Bedouin Ethnobotany - Plant Concepts and Uses in a Desert Pastoral World, University of Arizona Press 2011, p. 154, (ISBN 978-0-8165-2900-1)
  10. Burndud (1990). Wanggalili; Yinjibarndi and Ngarluma Plants. Juluwarlu Aboriginal Corporation. p. 17.
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