Heliotropium digynum

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Heliotropium callosum
• Heliotropium eriocarpum
• Lithospermum digynum

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant, Heliotropium digynum, belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. Within the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae, it is categorized under the order Boraginales and the family Boraginaceae. Finally, it is classified under the genus Heliotropium.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a specific geographical distribution spanning parts of Northern Africa and Western Asia. Within the African continent, it can be found growing in Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia. Moving toward the Middle East, its range extends into the Western Asian region. Specifically, the species is documented to inhabit the territories of both Afghanistan and Iraq. Together, these locations define the natural habitat for Heliotropium digynum.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Heliotropium digynum is characterized by its status as a perennial species, allowing the plant to persist through multiple growing seasons. As a long-lived herb, its life cycle involves an establishment phase followed by a period of vegetative growth where it develops its characteristic structure. Throughout its life, it undergoes periodic reproductive cycles, transitioning from vegetative development to flowering and seed production. This perennial nature enables the plant to maintain a stable presence within its ecological niche, often relying on established root systems to survive unfavorable conditions before re-emerging to complete its seasonal biological processes.

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Heliotropium digynum is characterized by a growth form that primarily functions as a subshrub or herb, exhibiting a non-woody structure throughout its development. It is an independent organism, functioning without any parasitic relationship to its host plants. In terms of its ecological habitat and habit, the plant displays a versatile distribution ranging from terrestrial to semiaquatic and aquatic environments. While it possesses a self-supporting growth habit rather than being an obligatory or facultative climber, its physical structure remains herbaceous and lacks significant woodiness.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

subshrub

Parasite :

independent

Woodiness :

non-woody

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Heliotropium digynum has 9 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include cysteine, glycine, histidine, linolenic acid, oleic acid.

cysteine

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

glycine

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

histidine

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

linolenic acid

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

oleic acid

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

proline

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

serine

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

threonine

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

tyrosine

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)