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Fumaria officinalis L., Common Fumitory

Account Summary

Introduction, archaeophyte, rare. European southern-temperate, widely naturalised in both hemispheres.

1947; MCM & D; disturbed waste ground at Derrygonnelly village.

April to October.

Growth form and preferred habitats

An erect to diffuse, much branched annual, germination of F. officinalis occurs in the spring and vegetative development and flowering is rapid in reasonably fertile, preferably light mesic soils, given open, sunny, warm growing conditions (Salisbury 1964; Sinker et al. 1985). Having said this, one of the English common names F. officinalis is 'Beggary', a name similar to 'Beggar Weed', that is often applied to such plants as Polygonum aviculare (Knotgrass), Heracleum spondylium (Hogweed), Spergula arvensis (Corn Spurrey) and Galium aparine (Cleavers), either because their presence denotes poor soil, or because they are such noxious weeds they manage to beggar the farmer (Britten & Holland 1886; Grigson 1987).

Fermanagh occurrence

Although this is indeed the commonest fumitory in Fermanagh, it is still a decidedly rare plant in this part of the world. It has only ever been recorded in 13 widely scattered Fermanagh tetrads, 2.5% of those in the VC. Just eleven tetrads contain post-1975 records. Apart from the occasional potato or turnip field, there really is no arable farming carried on now in Fermanagh. Annual ruderal weeds like this one have become confined to other forms of disturbed soil, eg in gardens, on piles of earth dumped beside roadside workings, on waste ground or building sites where they temporarily appear as casuals. As Sell (1991) pointed out in connection with both Fumaria and Papaver (Poppy) species, in the past agricultural methods allowed weeds to flourish in almost any crop. Nowadays, however, since the advent of modern arable management techniques, weeds appear only in crops that do not require heavy application of herbicides, eg onions and potatoes.

Variation

F. officinalis is variable and plastic with respect to the environment in which it grows, and it is also genetically variable – two subspecies comprising four varieties having been described by Sell (P. Sell, in: Rich & Rich 1988; Sell & Murrell 2018). Stace in New Flora of the BI (1997 & 2010) recognises just the two subspecies, as does Murphy (2009) in her Fumaria handbook. Our local Fermanagh form of the plant is probably subsp. officinalis, the most widespread form in both Britain and Ireland, but subsp. wirtgenii (W.D. Koch) Arcang. may also be present here. A plant collected at Lisnaskea was keyed down to this by RHN in 1988 but, unfortunately, no voucher was kept. This form has also been found at least once in Co Londonderry (H40) (FNEI 3).

Irish occurrence

The Northern Ireland Vascular Plant Database (2002) shows F. officinalis as having been found in 58 hectads, making it the second most frequently recorded fumitory species in the six northern counties. It is led only by F. muralis (Common Ramping-fumitory), although it must be said that we have reservations about the accuracy of the representation of the latter species due to the identification problems between it and F. bastardii (Tall Ramping-fumitory).

In the Republic of Ireland, F. officinalis is most frequently found in the Midlands and in a wide plain around Dublin − what was once referred to as, 'the English Pale'. This region represented the better farmland of the island that was earliest colonised by the ruling English settlers from the 14th century onwards.

Flowering, pollination and fertilisation

Common Fumitory plants flower throughout the summer from June to September. The raceme inflorescence consists of between 10-40 (or occasionally more) flowers. It begins life fairly dense and compact, but it elongates as it ages. The flowers are large for a fumitory, up to 8 or 9 mm long, the petals pinkish purple having blackish purple tips (Jonsell et al. 2001). Like other Fumaria species, F. officinalis normally self-pollinates and self-fertilises. However, the flowers still do produce nectar and thus they attract flies and bees, which must also produce some degree of cross pollination − if not necessarily cross-fertilisation (Fitter 1987; Richards 1997).

In flower buds and young flowers, the stamens and the solitary style are positioned close together. As the flower develops and the style grows and elongates it pushes between the anthers, collecting pollen on the stigma as it does so, thus effecting self-pollination even before the flowers fully mature (Murphy 2009).

The flower has four petals, of which the uppermost one is largest and has a long prominent spur at its base. Nectar is secreted into the spur by long backward-pointing processes on the filaments of the upper stamens. The two lateral petals are curved inwards at their margins and are fused together at their tips, forming a sheath or hood that encloses the rigid style and stigma. The stigma is large and lobed and when mature it is already covered with pollen released from the anthers which wither before the flower opens. Bumble-bees and flies occasionally visit Fumaria flowers, probing for nectar in the spurred upper petal. In doing so, they dislodge the hood: in younger flowers, the anthers have just opened and the proboscis of the insect becomes dusted with pollen. In older flowers, the stigma is fully mature and is receptive to pollen transferred between flowers by the insect visitor.

Having just described insect pollination in Fumaria species, it must be said that the vast majority of flowers in the genus are self-fertilised. Do you mean self-pollinated? This is undoubtedly responsible for the observed myriad of locally distinct forms that occur in Fumaria species, some of which have received taxonomic recognition (Murphy 2009).

Fruit and seed

The fruit is a slightly heart-shaped nutlet, brown and rough in texture, and each contains only a single oval seed (Salisbury 1964). Although the seed production of this annual is not normally large, it forms a persistent soil seed bank which sometimes allows the species to become a troublesome and abundant weed.

Seed longevity

Seed survival of over 60 years has been reported in soil buried beneath pastures (Chippindale & Milton 1934) and, indeed, 'ancient seed', buried for over 660 years was also found to be viable (Odum 1965; Thompson et al. 1997).

Native or alien status

F. officinalis was listed by Webb (1985) along with 40 other species previously assumed to be native in Britain and Ireland which he considered "probably introduced" and whose status he suggested required further investigation. The Cen Cat Fl Ir 2 has also long regarded F. officinalis as being a probable introduction (Scannell & Synnott 1987). The editors of the New Atlas having studied the botanical findings of archaeologists have recently accepted Webb's view of all but seven of his species (and even these are accepted as being a mixture of both native and alien). Furthermore, they have added a further 108 species previously assumed native species to Webb's shortlist of probable or definite introductions (Preston et al. 2002). F. officinalis is one of the 149 species now understood to be ancient, pre-1500 AD accidental human introductions in both Britain and Ireland (Preston et al. 2002).

The Northern Ireland Flora Website (2002), shows F. officinalis as being present in 58 grid hexads, making it the second most frequently recorded fumitory species in the six northern counties. It is led only by F. muralis, although it must be said that we have reservations about the accuracy of the representation of the latter species due to the identification problems between it and F. bastardii −(see the F. muralis species account).

British occurrence

F. officinalis is widespread throughout lowland areas of England and Wales, but in Scotland it becomes very much more eastern and coastal, although not exclusively so (Preston et al. 2002).

European occurrence

The European range of the species is very wide, indeed it is almost cosmopolitan, stretching from the Mediterranean (although much less well represented in Portugal than might be expected), to well within the Arctic Circle in Norway (Jalas & Suominen 1991, Map 2096).

Centre of origin and world occurrence

This mainly Eurasiatic species probably originated in and is native of central and southern parts of Europe, N Africa and W Asia. As a weed it is distributed worldwide, to areas including Fennoscandia, Ethiopia, S Africa, N and S America, Java, Tasmania and New Zealand (Hultén & Fries 1986, Map 900).

Toxicity and medicinal use

All parts of Fumaria species contain poisonous alkaloids such as fumarine, plus fumeric acid, tannins and mucilage, and they have a long history of use for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. F. officinalis is still widely used by herbalists for eczema and other skin diseases, liver complaints, colic and constipation (Launert 1981; Stodola & Volak 1992; Bartram 1995). Large doses of the alkaloids can cause severe diarrhoea and even respiratory failure. It should only be taken internally under the supervision of a qualified medical practitioner or herbalist.

Names

The genus name 'Fumaria' is derived from the apothecaries' Mediaeval Latin 'fumus terrae', meaning 'smoke from the earth', a poetic allegory of the way F. officinalis spreads its pale blue-green, diffuse foliage across the soil surface supposedly like smoke when seen from a distance (Grigson 1974). The Latin specific epithet 'officinalis' reminds us of the medicinal use of the plant, it being kept in the 'officina', the druggist's or apothecary's shop (Gilbert-Carter 1964). In reference to the English common name 'Fumitory', Britten & Holland (1886) relate how the old authors (ie of the English and continental herbals), believed the plant was produced without seed from vapors or smoke rising from the earth. They also remark that, "it is rather curious that the root when fresh pulled up gives off a strong gaseous smell, remarkably like the fumes of nitric acid, hence probably the belief in its gaseous origin."

Grigson (1987) lists an additional twelve English common names, several of which refer to the Virgin (eg 'Lady's Lockets' and 'Lady's Shoe'). Another very curious name is 'Wax Dolls', which appears to derive from the fact that the foliage is rather waxy and difficult to wet, or possibly also from the somewhat waxy appearance of the flowers, and thus the plant is being compared with the then familiar texture of a Victorian wax doll (Grigson 1987).

Threats

None.