PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Toda la planta.

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA= Pharmacological action: Afecciones cardiacas, emenagogo.

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: Physicochem. anal. of eight wild oil-bearing seed species belonging to different families was done using chromatog. and spectroscopic techniques. Palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids were present in all the seed oils. Four seed oils, namely, Acacia dealbata, Asparagus scandens, Sphaeranthus indicua, and Caesalpinia cirsta were characterized by the presence of unusually high amts. of linoleic acid (78.5, 63.8, 61.7 and 69.6% resp.). Oleic-linoleic content in the seed oil of C. cirsta was 83.1%. The oil of Juncus bufonius contained linolenic acid to the extent of 60%.

ZONA GEOGRÁFICA= Geografical zone: Argentina. 

DIVERSIDAD GENÉTICA Y MEJORAMIENTO DE PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants and improvement of medicinal herbs:

A phylogenetic anal. of the Juncaceae was conducted to assess relationships among the genera Juncus, Luzula and five other small South American genera (Distichia, Marsippospermum, Oxychloe, Patosia and Rostkovia).  We examd. parallel datasets from organelles (mtDNA: atp1 gene, cpDNA: trnL intron, trnL-F intergenic spacer, rbcL gene) with respect to qualities relevant to the phylogenetic anal. of the Juncaceae.  The main aim of our work was to produce a robust phylogeny of the Juncaceae validated by data from both organelles.  Our data confirm the monophyly of the genus Luzula, but do not provide support for monophyly of the genus Juncus.  The majority of taxa clustered within two subgenera, Agathryon and Juncus, morphol. supported by the presence or absence of bracteoles and cymose or racemose inflorescences, resp.  The subgenus Juncus is divided into two sep. clades, the first closely related to the subgenus Agathryon and the second in the most basal part of the tree.  Moreover, small South American genera clustered together with Juncus sect. Graminifolii and also with Juncus sect. Juncus.  In fact, comparison of results from sep. analyses of mitochondrial and plastome genes demonstrates that the general resoln. of main topol. of the atp1 tree is similar to the sep. rbcL tree; the genus Juncus is better resolved, but the genus Luzula remains mainly polytomic.   

1) TOURSARKISSIAN, Martín. Plantas medicinales de Argentina : sus nombres botánicos, vulgares, usos y distribución geográfica. Buenos Aires : Hemisferio Sur,1980, p.62.

2) JAMAL, Sajid, et al. Studies on minor seed oils. XIII. Journal of the Oil Technologists' Association of India (Mumbai, India). 1986, vol.18, nº3, p.81-83.
 

3) ZAVESKA DRABKOVA, Lenka; VLCEK, Cestmir. DNA variation within Juncaceae: comparison of impact of organelle regions on phylogeny.  Plant Systematics and Evolution. 2009, vol.278, nº3-4, p.169-186.