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Opopanax chironium

Common name:	Opopanax	Family:	Umbelliferae
Author:	(L.)Koch.	Botanical references:	50
Synonyms:	Malabaila opopanax
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. Europe.
Habitat:	Stony ground, olive groves, vineyards etc[45].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	O. chironius[G] Pastinaca opopanax[G] Pastinaca opoponax[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Hercules's Allheal [H], Nd [E], Opopanax [E], Opoponax [H], Panace [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Apiales. Renamed to Apiaceae -- Carrot family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Europe Spain

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1.8m. It is hardy to zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf from October to August, in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen in August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antispasmodic Deobstruent.

The gum (an oleo resin according to one report) that is obtained from the base of the stems is antispasmodic and deobstruent[4]. It is nowadays considered to be a medium of feeble powers though it was at one time widely used in the treatment of menstrual disorders, asthma, chronic visceral afflictions etc[4].

Other Uses

Gum.

A gum is obtained through incisions in the roots at the base of the stems[4]. It is used in perfumery[1, 46, 61] and also in medicines[171]. The gum is inflammable, burning brightly[4].

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in any good garden soil[1]. It can tolerate considerable neglect, some plants we were growing were left to fend for themselves in very dense weed growth and survived well for 4 years before being moved to another site[K].
We are not sure how hardy this plant is, but the foliage has withstood short periods of temperatures down to -6° c with us[K].
A warm climate is necessary in order to produce good quality gum[4].
Plants seem to be very tolerant of root disturbance, specimens that had been growing for 4 years in one site grew away very well when transplanted as they came into growth in late autumn[K].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ.
If seed is in short supply then it is best to sow it in a pot in the greenhouse in early spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Opopanax chironius (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[45] Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980 ISBN 0-19-217626-9
A good pocket flora, it also lists quite a few plant uses.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 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.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
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.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Opopanax+chironium
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Opopanax+chironium

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