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Parietaria lusitanica L.
Parietaria lusitanica L., family Urticaceae, is an annual herbaceous plant. Parietaria lusitanica L., is a short plant with a wispy, simple or arborescent stem, the leaves are petiolate alternate, rounded oval, slightly subdued at both ends, scarcely hairy, being 3-nervates at the basis. Flowers are small, produced in clusters of 3-7 axils dichazial inflorescence, subsesile. In every dichazial the central flower is female, and the lateral ones are hermaphrodite. The bracts are linear lance shaped, joined at the basis and longer than the perigonium 4-laciniat (jagged). The androecium is formed by 4 stamens. The fruit is a small and oval nut. It blossoms in the months of May to Aug.
It grows in arid, rocky regions in the Mediterranean area and the Balkan Peninsula. In the Flora found in Romania is quoted the species Parietaria lusitanica β. chersonensis Láng and Szov. as being synonym to the species Parietaria sérbica Panč., which grows in detritus and in rocky caverns in Mangalia and Canaraua Fetii in Dobrogea and in the west part of the Danube at Cazane, in Banat county. The name of the plant comes from Apuleius (II A.D.), which named it paries (side, wall), from the place where it grows.
Specialized literature studies show that the species from the gender Parietaria have therapeutic usage in traditional medicine, which have diuretic, depurative, emollient, antitussive, antirheumatic, cholagogue, pectoral and laxative properties. In human medicine the aerial part of the plant is used externally for treating hemorrhoids and anal fissures. Parietaria lusitanica L. is species frequently used by the inhabitants from around Toulouse, France in medicinal treatments.
Spotted on Jan 9, 2012
Submitted on Apr 7, 2013
