Adoxa

Moschatel
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Dipsacales
Family: Adoxaceae
Genus: Adoxa
Species: A. moschatellina
Binomial name
Adoxa moschatellina
L.

Adoxa moschatellina (moschatel, five-faced bishop,[1] hollowroot, muskroot, townhall clock, tuberous crowfoot) is an herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae. It is the sole member of the genus Adoxa. It grows throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, in hedgerows, cool forests, at low altitudes in the far north, to high altitudes in mountains in the south of its range. The plant and its flowers have a musk-like scent, which it emits towards evening when the dew falls. If the plant is bruised this scent disappears. In Europe, it flowers in April and May.

The names "five-faced bishop" and "townhall clock" allude to the structure of its inflorescence. This consists of five flowers: one four-petalled flower facing upwards, and four five-petalled flowers facing horizontally, as seen in the pictures.

Adoxa moschatellina from Thomé, Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz (1885)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Moschatel.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, April 25, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.