Iva annua
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Iva annua (USDA).jpg
| status = {{TNCStatus}}
| status_system = TNC
| genus = Iva
| species = annua
| authority = L. 1753
| synonyms_ref = [http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/gcc-10540 The Plant List, Iva annua L.]
| synonyms =
- Iva annua var. caudata (Small) R.C.Jacks.
- Iva annua var. macrocarpa (S.F.Blake) R.C.Jacks.
- Iva caudata Small
- Iva ciliata var. macrocarpa S.F.Blake
}}
Iva annua, the annual marsh elder{{PLANTS|id=IVAN2|taxon=Iva annua|accessdate=3 August 2016}} or sumpweed, is a North American herbaceous annual plant in the family Asteraceae that was historically cultivated by Native Americans for its edible seed.
Description
Iva annua is an annual herb up to 150 cm (5 feet) tall. The plant produces many small flower heads in a narrow, elongated, spike-like array, each head with 11–17 disc florets but no ray florets.[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=220006879 Flora of North America, Iva annua Linnaeus, 1753. ] Marshelder has a unique odor when the leaves or pollen are touched, but this odor is not present in winnowed seed.
Cultivated varieties of Marshelder (var. macrocarpa) bred by Native Americans possessed seeds 6-9mm in length; whereas wild-type Marshelder has seeds 3 mm in length on average (not exceeding 4.5 mm). Weiland, A. W., & Gremillion, K. J. (2018). Patterns of Variation in the Seed Morphology of Iva annua var. Macrocarpa, an Extinct North American Domesticate. Ethnobiology Letters, 9(2), 75–89.
Distribution
It is native to northeastern Mexico (Tamaulipas) and to the central and southern United States, primarily the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley as far north as North Dakota. There are some populations in the eastern US, but these appear to represent introductions.[http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Iva%20annua.png Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map]
=Conservation=
NatureServe evaluated Iva annua in 1998 as globally secure, G5.{{cite web |last1=NatureServe |title=Iva annua |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.146027 |access-date=7 October 2023 |location=Arlington, Virginia |date=2023}}
Uses
Iva annua was cultivated for its edible seed by Native Americans around 4,000 years ago{{Cite web|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160802104526.htm|title=Population boom preceded early farming|last=|first=|date=August 2, 2016|website=sciencedaily.com|publisher=|access-date=3 August 2016}} in the central and eastern United States as part of the Eastern Agricultural Complex. It was especially important to the indigenous peoples of the Kansas City Hopewell culture in present-day Missouri and Illinois. The edible parts contain 32 percent protein and 45 percent oil.
However, like its relative ragweed, sumpweed possesses many objectionable qualities which include being a severe potential allergen and possessing a unique odor. Probably for these reasons it was abandoned after more pleasant alternatives (such as maize) were available and, by the time Europeans arrived in the Americas, had disappeared as a crop.{{cite book
| author=Jared Diamond
| title=Guns, Germs and Steel
| publisher=New York: Norton
| date=2003
| page=151}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline|Iva annua}}
- {{Wikispecies-inline|Iva annua}}
- [https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=IVAN2USDA Plants Profile for Iva annua (annual marsh elder) ]
- [https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?104368 Germplasm Resources Information Network−GRIN: treatment of Iva annua]
- {{cite web |url=http://www.missouriplants.com/Iva_annua_page.html |title=Iva annua L. |access-date=August 23, 2022 |publisher=MissouriPlants.com}} Includes photographs.
- [http://www.tropicos.org/ImageFullView.aspx?imageid=89432 Photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q6095678}}
Category:Flora of the Great Plains (North America)
Category:Flora of the United States
Category:Flora of the South-Central United States
Category:Flora of the Southeastern United States
Category:Flora of the Great Lakes region (North America)
Category:Flora of the Appalachian Mountains
Category:Edible nuts and seeds
Category:Crops originating from Pre-Columbian North America
Category:Native American cuisine of the Southeastern Woodlands
Category:Pre-Columbian Great Plains cuisine
Category:Crops originating from the United States
Category:Plants described in 1753