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Polymnia sonchifolia

(Yacon, Yakon)

Taxonomy

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  • Kingdom: Plantae - Plants
    • Phylum: Tracheophyta - Vascular Plants
      • Class: Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons
        • Order: Asterales
          • Family: Noctuoidea
            • Subfamily: Polemonioideae
              • Tribe: Polemonieae
                • Genus: Polymnia (po-LIM-nee-uh) Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 926. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 396. 1754. - [Greek Polymnia, muse of sacred music and dance]
                  • Specific epithet: sonchifolia Poeppig & Endl.
                    • Botanical name: Polymnia sonchifolia Poeppig & Endl.

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication: Nov. gen. sp. pl. 3:47, t. 254. 1843

Name verified on 02-Jun-1995 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 17-Feb-2006

Physical Description

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Genus Polymnia:

Annuals or perennials, 50-150+ cm (often rhizomatous). Stems erect, branched distally. Leaves all or mostly cauline; opposite; petiolate (petioles often ± winged, often with connate-perfoliate basal appendages) ; blades (pinnately nerved) deltate or rounded-rhombic to cordate or ovate, often raggedly pinnately lobed (lobes 3-11), ultimate margins coarsely toothed to denticulate or entire, faces pilose or pilosulous to hirtellous, or glabrate, or glabrous, gland-dotted and/or stipitate-glandular. Heads usually radiate, rarely ± disciform, (2-5+) in loose to congested, corymbiform clusters. Calyculi 0. Involucres hemispheric, 4-15+ mm diam. Phyllaries persistent, 6-21+ in 2 series (distinct, outer 2-6 ovate to linear, ± herbaceous, inner ovate to lanceolate, subequal to or shorter than outer, more scarious, similar to paleae). Receptacles flat to convex, paleate (paleae obovate to oblanceolate or spatulate, herbaceous to scarious). Ray florets 2-6, pistillate, fertile; corollas pale yellowish to whitish (tubes pilosulous, laminae ± cuneate to linear, 3-lobed, sometimes absent or nearly so). Disc florets 12-30+, functionally staminate; corollas pale yellow, tubes shorter than abruptly dilated throats, lobes 5, deltate to lance-ovate. Cypselae plumply pyriform, ± obcompressed, 3-6-angled or -ribbed, finely striate between ribs (narrowed at bases, patently inserted on receptacles, often minutely beaked), sparsely hirtellous or glabrate; pappi 0. x = 15.

Species 3: c, e North America.[1]

Habit: Deciduous.

Flowers: Bloom Period: April, May, June, July, August. • Flower Color: inconspicuous, none, orange

Images:

Distribution

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Range and Population

Native: .

Growth

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Culture: Space 24-36" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.1 • Maximum pH: 7.8

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 9a. (map)

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Polymnia:

There are approximately 46 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus: P. abyssinica · P. andrei · P. arborea · P. canadensis (Canadian Leaf Cup) · P. carnosa · P. connata · P. cossatotensis (Cossatot Mountain Leafcup) · P. edulis · P. eurylepis · P. frondosa · P. fruticosa · P. glabrata · P. glabrata var. angustifolia · P. grandis · P. jelskii · P. laevigata (Tennessee Leafcup) · P. latisquana · P. lehmannii · P. macroscypha · P. maculata · P. maculata var. vulgaris · P. macvaughii · P. mcvaughii · P. meridensis · P. nervata · P. nesidensis · P. oaxacana · P. parviceps · P. perfoliata · P. pyramidalis · P. quichensis · P. riparia · P. siegesbeckia · P. silphioides · P. sonchifolia (Yacon) · P. sonchifolia 'Munchy White' · P. sonchifolia 'Purple Gourmet' · P. spinosa · P. standleyi · P. stenocarpha · P. suffruticosa · P. tarapacana · P. tetragonotheca · P. trigonostoma · P. verapazensis · P. wedelia

Bibliography

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  • Encke, F. et al. 1993. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 14. Auflage. (Zander ed14) [accepts].
  • Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2. (Food Feed Crops US)
  • Wells, J. R. 1965. A taxonomic study of Polymnia (Compositae). Brittonia 17: 144-159.
  • Wells, J. R. 1965. A taxonomic study of Polymnia (Compositae). Brittonia 17:154–155. [accepts].
  • Zandstra, I. 1994. Diversity 10:31–33. [accepts].
  • Zardini, E. 1991. Econ. Bot. 45:72–85. [accepts].

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors:

  • Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
  • Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2005. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [http://sn2000.taxonomy.nl/Taxonomicon/]. Access date: Nov 23, 2005
  • Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 28, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.
  • USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (April 30, 2008)
  • USDA, NRCS. 2005. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 28, 2008:

  • Missouri Botanical Garden

Identifiers:

Footnotes:

  1. John L. Strother "Polymnia". in Flora of North America Vol. 21 Page 38, 39. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.

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Last Revised: May 13, 2008