| Hedysarum | |
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| Hedysarum coronarium | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Tribe: | Hedysareae |
| Genus: | Hedysarum L. (1753) |
| Type species | |
| Hedysarum coronarium L. | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Hedysarum (sweetvetch) is agenus of thebotanicalfamilyFabaceae, consisting of about 200species of annual or perennialherbs found in Asia, Europe, North Africa, and North America.
Species within genusHedysarum may be herbaceous plants or deciduous shrubs. They haveodd-pinnate leaves, with entireleaflets (no notches or indentations). These leaves resemble the leaves of sweet peas. Thestipules may be free or connate, and stipels (secondary stipules) are absent.
Theinflorescences arepeduncledracemes or heads.Bracts are small, with bracteoles below thecalyx, and calyx teeth subequal. Thepetals may be pink, purplish, yellow, or whitish.Vexillum is longer than the wings, with an obtuse keel longer or rarely shorter than the wings.Stamens are diadelphous, 9+1, andanthers uniform. Ovary is 2-8-ovuled. Fruit is alomentum, with segments that are glabrous, pubescent, bristly, or spiny, and break into single-seeded sections on ripening.[2]
Hedysarum species are used as food plants by thelarvae of someLepidoptera (moth and butterfly) species includingColeophora accordella. Some species, such asHedysarum alpinum also known as Alpine sweetvetch or wild potato, were eaten by theInuit to help ward off the effects ofscurvy due to it being rich invitamin C, containing about 21 mg/100g.[3]
In his bookInto the Wild,Jon Krakauer speculated thatChristopher McCandless may have died from eating seeds ofH. alpinum, which Krakauer thought might containswainsonine. This theory was later debunked by experts in the field of botany.[4] Krakauer subsequently postulated that the seeds were stored wet in a plastic bag, which may have created a toxic by-product.
Krakauer was later validated, to a certain extent. Krakauer explains that he came across the research of Ronald Hamilton, who had concluded that theneurotoxinoxalyldiaminopropionic acid (ODAP) in the wild potato seed was responsible for a degenerative disease known aslathyrism. In August 2013, Krakauer sent a modest sample of the seeds for testing, discovering that they contained ".394 per cent beta-ODAP by weight, a concentration well within the levels known to cause lathyrism in humans." Krakauer concludes that "Had McCandless's guidebook to edible plants warned thatHedysarum alpinum seeds contain a neurotoxin that can cause paralysis, he probably would have walked out of the wild in late August with no more difficulty than when he walked into the wild in April, and would still be alive today."[5] Later, a more detailed mass spectrometric analysis showed, that the poison inHedysarum alpinum isL-canavanine instead of ODAP.[6]
The roots are a major food forgrizzly bears.[7]
The following species are accepted byThe Plant List:[8]
Authority control databases: National |
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