Eminium intortum is a species of plant in the family Araceae. It is a cormous geophyte native to Turkey and the northern Levant.[4]
Description
Perennial geophyte. Colms globose.[5]: 129
Purplish-red stems usually 11–18 cm long, but may appear acaulescent. The stem lacks speckes and generally becomes violet-colored toward the base. Scapes are 6–15 cm long, thickening around the lower region of the spathe. Leaves petiolate and hastate, with lateral veins that branch out toward the midsection of the leaf blade upon separation from the middle vein. Basal lobes are linear and come to a point, curling upward. The lower blade of the leaf generally has blackish-brown speckles.[5]: 129 [6]
It can be distinguished from E. rauwolffii by its leaves: its posterior leaf lobes may fragment into secondary lobes, unlike those of E. rauwolfii.[5]: 128
Flower with spathe, purplish, brownish, or reddish black, purplish, or reddish on the inside, green on the outside. Inner surface of spathe is velvety textured. Glabrous 5-8[-10] mm long spadix, with 11–13 mm long pistil. Sterile zone 20-24-35 mm lon long, stamen 7-8[-10] mm long, and sterile flowers 4–5 mm long. Appendix is cylindrical, conical, dark brown or blackish purple, with short stems.[5]: 129
Fruit is grape-like in texture.[5]: 129
Pollen 46.07 μm in diameter, covered with spines 2.37 μm in height.[5]: 130
Taxonomy
A 2021 phenogram placed it closest to E. spiculatum,[5]: 136 but a genetic study has yet to be undertaken (apart from its use as an outgroup).[7]
Distribution and habitat
It is found native in Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria.[8]
It grows on rocky slopes at an elevation of 820–1700 m.[5]: 129
Ecology
Flowers April–May.[5]: 129
History
It was first described as Arum intortum in 1794 by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander in Volume II of the 2nd edition of Alexander Russel's The Natural History of Aleppo.[6][9]
Uses
A 2023 study aimed at metabolite profiling was the first mass spectrometry of the species, and identified the extract of its flowers as a strong cholinesterase inhibitor.[10]
Toxicity
A case of poisoning occurred in the countryside of Edessa when a girl consumed about 50 g of the corm of the plant raw,[a] developing SOB, a swollen tongue, a burning sensation in the mouth, hypersalivation, and eventually aphthous lesions and a necrotic wound on the underside of the tongue.[11]
Notes
References
- ^ Pohl in Das Pflanzenreich of Engler - "Das Pflanzenreich" Vol. 73-74 (1920)
- ^ Kuntze, Otto (1891-11-05). Revisio generum plantarum:vascularium omnium atque cellularium multarum secundum leges nomenclaturae internationales cum enumeratione plantarum exoticarum in itinere mundi collectarum (in Latin). Vol. 2.
- ^ WFO (2025). "Eminium intortum (Banks & Sol.) Kuntze". The World Flora Online.
- ^ Kew Royal Botanical Gardens (2025). "Eminium intortum (Banks & Sol.) Kuntze". Plants of the World Online.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Ergün, Zeynep (2021). "The revision of the genus Eminium of Turkey". International Journal of Agricultural and Natural Sciences. 14 (2): 124–138. eISSN 2651-3617.
- ^ a b Banks, Joseph; Solander, Daniel (1794). "Arum intortum". The Natural History of Aleppo: containing a description of the city, and the principal natural productions in its neighbourhood : together with an account of the climate, inhabitants, and diseases, particularly of the plague. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). London. p. 264.
- ^ Joudi Ghezeljeh Meidan, Leila; Mehregan, Iraj; Assadi, Mostafa; Farajzadeh, Davoud (April 2016). "Molecular phylogeny of the family Araceae as inferred from the nuclear ribosomal ITS data" (PDF). Iranian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding. 5 (1): 32–39. doi:10.30479/ijgpb.2016.1041. eISSN 2676-346X.
- ^ Von Raab-Straube, E. (2021–2024). "Eminium intortum". Euro+Med PlantBase.
- ^ Boyce, Peter (2021-02-24). "The Genus Eminium". International Aroid Society.
- ^ Yuce Babacan, Ebru; Zheleva-Dimitrova, Dimitrina; Gevrenova, Reneta; Bouyahya, Abdelhakim; Balos, Mehmet Maruf; Cakilcioglu, Ugur; Sinan, Kouadio Ibrahime; Zengin, Gokhan (2023-06-08). "Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry-Based Profiling of Secondary Metabolites in Two Unexplored Eminium Species and Bioactivity Potential". Plants. 12 (12): 2252. Bibcode:2023Plnts..12.2252B. doi:10.3390/plants12122252. eISSN 2223-7747. PMC 10305186. PMID 37375878.
- ^ a b Demir, Abit; Akan, Hasan; Balos, Mehmet Maruf; Gümüş, Hüseyin (August 2021). "Wild Tuber Poisoning in a Child : Eminium Intortum (Banks & Sol.) KUNTZE – A first case report". Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi. 18 (2): 349–352. doi:10.35440/hutfd.908597. eISSN 1309-4025.
Literature
- Güner, A.; et al. (2018). Resimli Türkiye Florası [Illustrated Flora of Turkey] (in Turkish). Vol. 2.
- Güner, A. (2012). Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi.
- Davis, P. H. (1984). Flora of Turkey and East Aegean Islands. Vol. 8.
- Mouterde, P. (1966). Nouv. Fl. Liban Syrie. Vol. 1.