Hyoscyamus niger L. 1753

Sennikov, Alexander & Lazkov, Georgy, 2022, The first checklist of alien vascular plants of Kyrgyzstan, with new records and critical evaluation of earlier data. Contribution 2, Biodiversity Data Journal 10, pp. 80804-80804 : 80804

Hyoscyamus niger L. 1753

Hyoscyamus niger L., Sp. Pl. 1: 179 (1753).

Distribution

Native distribution

Mediterranean, Western Asia ( Meusel and Jäger 1965).

Secondary distribution

Archaeophyte in Temperate and Northern Europe and Temperate Asia, neophyte in Australia and North America.

Distribution in Central Asia

The species occurs in all the countries of Central Asia ( Kovalevskaya 1987).

Distribution in Kyrgyzstan

Western Tian-Shan, Northern Tian-Shan, Eastern Tian-Shan, Alay-Turkestan (Fig. 13 ).

The species is distributed in agricultural areas and populated places across the whole territory of Kyrgyzstan ( Nikitina 1960, Deza 1983).

Ecology

Stony or rocky places in the native distribution area, roadsides, fields, yards, waste places in the secondary distribution area.

In Kyrgyzstan, the species was recorded as occurring in agricultural areas up to the lower mountain belt ( Nikitina 1960), but its ruderal occurrence may reach the elevations as high as 2600 m according to the specimens examined; its field occurrence was probably common at elevations up to 2000 m. In the Caucasus, Hyoscyamus niger may reach the upper mountain belt ( Grossheim 1967).

Biology

Annual or more commonly biennial, with a taproot.

Notes

This species is a traditional medicinal plant, used since ancient times in the Roman Empire ( Mitich 1992) and is still an official drug in some countries, like the UK or used to obtain alkaloids ( Hocking 1947, Morton 1977), for which the plant has been commercially cultivated ( Mitich 1992). It was popular in the Middle Ages in Europe, reaching as far north as Finland with medieval cultivation ( Lempiäinen 1991). It is a traditional medicinal plant in Iran ( Moattar and Moattar 2004) and China ( Xiong et al. 2018); it is also used in the Indian Ayurveda ( Aparna et al. 2015). In India, the species was commonly used in local medicine in the 19th century ( Royle 1839); in Europe, it remained in use at least before the Second World War ( Perkamaitė and Gudienė 2015).

The closest relative of Hyoscyamus niger is H. albus L., which also occurs as native in the Mediterranean and Western Asia ( Sanchez-Puerta and Abbona 2014).

Introduction to Kyrgyzstan

Period of introduction

Archaeophyte.

The species was first recorded as being in foreign use in medieval China, Tang Dynasty ( Li 1977, Li 2012), corresponding to the 7th-9th centuries. This can be firmly linked with the Muslim conquest of Transoxiana, which occurred during AD 673-751 ( Nicolle 2009). Besides the narcotic effect, seeds of the plant were used as a tonic that provides strength in walking for long distances ( Li 1977, Li 2012); this effect apparently was valued in the contemporary army.

Pathways of introduction

Escape from confinement: Horticulture.

As the plant is an important sedative, anaesthetic and pain-relieving drug of ancient times, we conclude that it was intentionally introduced with medical purposes and subsequently cultivated in Central Asia. This ancient cultivation has been abandoned long ago, and the species largely occurs as a ruderal plant in or around populated places, or as a weed, or on abandoned fields ( Nikitina 1960, Kovalevskaya 1987). Many researchers ( Nikitina 1960, Deza 1983, Kovalevskaya 1987) also noted its common occurrence on fields, which assumes its secondary dispersal with contaminated seeds and from ruderal habitats. Its ruderal occurrence relies on winds and human activities.

Invasion status

Naturalised, old invasive plant. The species has been very frequently found in populated places (ruderal places, roadsides) and on fields (wheat, alfalfa) and pastures ( Nikitina 1960, Kovalevskaya 1987), but may also occur in native habitats (along riversides, on rocky slopes, in grasslands) near populated places. It is still regularly found in the country (Fig. 14 ).

Evidence of impact

Agriculture - major impact (reported as a common weed of crops, on fields and in gardens). Native ecosystems - major impact (occurring in natural habitats near populated places). Urban areas - major impact (ruderal occurrence).

Trend

Stable (inferred).

Figures

Figure 13. Recorded distribution of Hyoscyamus niger in Kyrgyzstan.

Figure 14. Hyoscyamus niger near Bishkek City, Kyrgyzstan (photo by G. Chulanova, 25 May 2019). Source: https: // www. plantarium. ru / page / image / id / 645576. html (Plantarium 2021).