Abutilon theophrasti - Abutilon

Famille: Malvaceae, Genre: Abutilon
Abutilon d'Avicenne
Annuelle (1m de haut).

Habitat

Exposition
Plein soleil ou mi-ombre
Humidité
Sol sec à moyen.
Sol
Tous sols. Nécessite un sol drainant.
pH
Sol acide ou calcaire
Rusticité
Zone 4
Habitat originel
Cultivated ground and waste places in the Mediterranean[50].
Origine géographique
Asia - tropical. Naturalised in S.E. Europe and the Mediterranean[50].

Comestibilité

  • Seeds - raw or cooked .
  • They can be eaten raw when they are under-ripe [179].
  • The ripe seed is dried and ground into a powder then used in soups, bread etc [177, 178].
  • It is washed first to remove any bitterness [179].
  • The seed contains about 17.4% protein, 16% fat, 33.8% carbohydrate, 4.4% ash [179].
  • Unripe fruit - raw [177].
  • This is really more of a seedpod [K].

Usages médicinaux

  • Ophthalmic .
  • Used in the treatment of dysentery and opacity of the cornea [145, 178].
  • The leaves contain 0.01% rutin and are used as a demulcent [240].
  • A tea made from the dried leaves is used in the treatment of dysentery and fevers [222].
  • A poultice of the leaves is applied to ulcers [222].
  • The bark is astringent and diuretic [240].
  • A tea made from the dried root is used in the treatment of dysentery and urinary incontinence [222].
  • It is also used to treat fevers [240].
  • The seed is powdered and eaten in the treatment of dysentery, stomach-aches etc [222].
  • It is demulcent, diuretic, emollient, laxative and stomachic [218].

Autres usages

  • A fibre obtained from the stems is used as a jute substitute [123, 169].
  • It is coarse but flexible and strong [169, 171].
  • It is also used in rope-making [46, 61].
  • It takes dyes well [171].
  • The fibre is also used for making paper, the stems are harvested in the summer, the leaves removed and the stems steamed in order to remove the fibres [189].
  • The seeds contain about 19% of a semi-drying oil [240].

Culture

  • Requires full sun or part day shade and a fertile well-drained soil [200].
  • Tolerates a pH in the range 5 to 8.2 .
  • This species is cultivated for its fibre in China and Russia where it succeeds as far north as latitude 56°n in W. Siberia [61, 123].
  • It is hardier and more disease-resistant than Jute (Corchorus spp.) [123].
  • Introduced to N. America in the eighteenth century, it has become a pestilential weed in many parts of the country [207].

Propagation

  • Seed - sow early April in a greenhouse .
  • Germination should take place within 2 - 3 weeks .
  • When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in May or June, after the last expected frosts .
  • An outdoor sowing in April to early May in situ could also be tried, especially in those areas with warm summers .

Calendrier

En fleur
7 - 8
En feuille
5 - 10

Pollinisation

Type de fleur
Hermaphrodite (les fleurs ont des organes mâles et femelles)
Auto-fertile
Oui

Divers

Pollution
Non
Autres réferences
[200]

Réferences

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. 1959.
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. 1974.
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[123] ? Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th edition.
It contains a few things of interest to the plant project.
[145] Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. 1976.
A good flora of the western Himalayas but poorly illustrated. Some information on plant uses.
[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.
[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. 1952.
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.
[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. 1984.
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica.
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. 1977.
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.
[189] Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. 1988.
A good practical section on how to make paper on a small scale plus details of about 75 species (quite a few of them tropical) that can be used.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. 1992.
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. 1993.
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.
[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China 1985.
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. 1990.
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). 1986.
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

Laissez un commentaire concernant "Abutilon theophrasti - Abutilon"