Epimedium

Epimedium
Epimedium × versicolor
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Berberidaceae
Genus:	Epimedium L.
Type species
Epimedium alpinum L.
Synonyms
Aceranthus C. Morren & Decaisne Vindicta Rafinesque

Epimedium
Chinese	淫羊藿
Literal meaning	"lascivious goat huo"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin yín yáng huò IPA [ǐn jǎŋ xwô] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Yàhm yèuhng fok Jyutping Jam4 joeng4 fok3 IPA [jɐm˩ jœŋ˩ fɔk̚˧]

Epimedium, also known as barrenwort, bishop's hat, fairy wings, horny goat weed, or yin yang huo (Chinese: 淫羊藿; pinyin: Yínyánghùo; Wade–Giles: Yin²-yang²-huo⁴), is a genus of flowering plants in the family Berberidaceae. The majority of the species are endemic to China, with smaller numbers elsewhere in Asia, and a few in the Mediterranean region.

Epimedium species are deciduous or evergreen hardy perennials. The majority have four-parted "spider-like" flowers in spring.

The species used as a dietary supplement is Epimedium grandiflorum. It contains icariin, which is a weak PDE5 inhibitor, in vitro. Its clinical effects are unknown. While there is little clinical evidence to date, as sildenafil, vardenafil, and tadalafil – sold under the brand names Viagra, Levitra and Cialis – are all based on (stronger) PDE5 inhibitory action, it is thought to have erectogenic properties and is found in some men's sexual health supplements.

Description

Epimedium alpinum flower; note the spurs almost as long as the sepals

Labelled flowers of E. × perralchicum 'Fröhnleiten'

Species of Epimedium are herbaceous perennials, growing from an underground rhizome. Their growth habits are somewhat variable. Some have solitary stems, others have a "tufted" habit, with multiple stems growing close together. There may be several leaves to a stem or the leaves may be solitary, produced from the base of the plant. Individual leaves are generally compound, often with three leaflets, but also with more. Leaflets usually have spiny margins. The leaves may be annual, making the plant deciduous, or longer lasting, so that the plant is evergreen. The inflorescence is an open raceme or panicle, the number of flowers varying by species.

Individual flowers have parts in fours. There are four smaller outer sepals, usually greenish and shed when the flower opens. Moving inwards, these are followed by four larger petal-like inner sepals, often brightly coloured. Inside the sepals are four true petals. These may be small and flat, but often have a complex shape including a nectar-producing "spur" that may be longer than the sepals. There are four stamens.

One of the common names for the genus, bishop's hat, arises from the shape of the flowers, particularly where the spurs are longer than the sepals.

Taxonomy

The genus was given its name by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, in describing the European species E. alpinum. The name is a Latinized version of a Greek name for an unidentifiable plant, epimedion, that is mentioned in Pliny's Natural History (xxvii.57). The meaning of the original name is unclear.

Accepted species (65)

1. Epimedium acuminatum
2. Epimedium alpinum
3. Epimedium baiealiguizhouense
4. Epimedium baojingensis
5. Epimedium borealiguizhouense
6. Epimedium brachyrrhizum
7. Epimedium brevicornum
8. Epimedium campanulatum
9. Epimedium chlorandrum
10. Epimedium circinatocucullatum
11. Epimedium coactum
12. Epimedium davidii
13. Epimedium dewuense
14. Epimedium diphyllum
15. Epimedium dolichostemon
16. Epimedium ecalcaratum
17. Epimedium elatum
18. Epimedium elongatum
19. Epimedium enshiense
20. Epimedium epsteinii
21. Epimedium fangii
22. Epimedium fargesii
23. Epimedium flavum
24. Epimedium franchetii
25. Epimedium glandulosopilosum
26. Epimedium grandiflorum
27. Epimedium hunanense
28. Epimedium ilicifolium
29. Epimedium jingzhouense
30. Epimedium koreanum
31. Epimedium latisepalum
32. Epimedium leptorrhizum
33. Epimedium lishihchenii
34. Epimedium lobophyllum
35. Epimedium macrosepalum
36. Epimedium membranaceum
37. Epimedium mikinorii
38. Epimedium multiflorum
39. Epimedium myrianthum
40. Epimedium ogisui
41. Epimedium parvifolium
42. Epimedium pauciflorum
43. Epimedium perralderianum
44. Epimedium pinnatum
45. Epimedium platypetalum
46. Epimedium pseudowushanense
47. Epimedium pubescens
48. Epimedium pubigerum
49. Epimedium pudingense
50. Epimedium qingchengshanense
51. Epimedium reticulatum
52. Epimedium rhizomatosum
53. Epimedium sagittatum
54. Epimedium sempervirens
55. Epimedium setosum
56. Epimedium shennongjiaensis
57. Epimedium shuichengense
58. Epimedium stellulatum
59. Epimedium sutchuenense
60. Epimedium trifoliolatobinatum
61. Epimedium truncatum
62. Epimedium wushanense
63. Epimedium zhushanense

Hybrids

Epimedium × versicolor

Some artificial hybrids are cultivated in gardens. These include:

• E. × cantabrigiense Stearn, hybrid between E. alpinum and E. pubigerum
• E. × perralchicum Stearn, hybrid between E. perralderianum and E. pinnatum subsp. colchicum
• E. × rubrum Morr., hybrid between E. alpinum and E. grandiflorum
• E. × versicolor Morr., hybrid between E. grandiflorum and E. pinnatum subsp. colchicum
• E. × warleyense Stearn, hybrid between E. alpinum and E. pinnatum subsp. colchicum
• E. × youngianum Fisch & C.A.Mey, hybrid between E. diphyllum and E. grandiflorum

Cultivation

Some varieties and hybrids have been in Western cultivation for the last 100 to 150 years. There is now a wide array of new Chinese species being cultivated in the West, many of which have only recently been discovered, and some of which have yet to be named. There are also many older Japanese hybrids and forms, extending the boundaries of the genus in cultivation. The majority of the Chinese species have not been fully tested for hardiness nor indeed for any other aspect of their culture. The initial assumption that the plants would only thrive where their native conditions could be closely replicated have proven to be overly cautious, as most varieties are proving extraordinarily amenable to general garden and container cultivation.

The cultivar 'Amber Queen' is a recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Propagation

While they can be successfully propagated in early spring, epimediums are best divided in late summer, with the aim of promoting rapid re-growth of roots and shoots before the onset of winter. Several breeders (in particular Darrell Diano Probst, Tim Branney & Robin White) have also undertaken their own hybridization programmes with the genus. Various new nursery selections are gradually appearing in the horticulture trade, the best of which extend the colour and shape range of the flowers available to the gardener.

Chemistry

Epimedium wushanense contains a number of flavonoids. 37 compounds were characterized from the underground and aerial parts of the plant. Among them, 28 compounds were prenylflavonoids. The predominant flavonoid, epimedin C, ranged from 1.4 to 5.1% in aerial parts and 1.0 to 2.8% in underground parts.

General and cited references

• Stearn, William Thomas (November 1938). "Epimedium and Vancouveria (Berberidaceae), a monograph". Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Botany. 51 (340): 409–535. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1937.tb01914.x.
• Stearn, William T. (2002) [1938]. Green, Peter Shaw; Mathew, Brian (eds.). The genus Epimedium and other herbaceous Berberidaceae. (including the genus podophyllum by Julian Shaw, illustrations by Christabel King) (Revised ed.). Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens. ISBN 9781842460399.
• Avent, Tony (March 2010). "An overview of Epimedium". The Plantsman: 10–17. Archived from the original on 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2016-09-22.
• "Epimedium". The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2016.

External links

• Media related to Epimedium at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Epimedium at Wikispecies