Tellima grandiflora - Fringecup

• Family: Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage family) [E-flora]

Description

Tellima grandiflora is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 1 m (3ft 3in).
It is hardy to zone (UK) 6. It is in flower from Jul to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)^[PFAF]

Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.^[PFAF]

• General: "Perennial herb from scaly rhizomes; flowering stems 40-80 cm tall, with a few leaves, strongly long-hairy below, becoming more glandular-hairy above." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
• Leaves: "Basal leaves heart- to kidney-shaped, 3-8 cm wide, about as long, shallowly 5- to 7-lobed, irregularly toothed, the stalks 5-20 cm long, strongly long-hairy; stipules about 5 mm long, membranous, fringed to toothed; stem leaves similar to the basal, 1 to 3, reduced." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
• Flowers: "Inflorescence a many-flowered, spike-like, terminal cluster, generally 1-sided, with scale-like bracts; flower stalks 2-5 mm long; petals greenish-white to rose, 3-7 mm long, pinnately divided at tip into 5 or 7 linear segments, short-clawed, deciduous; calyces greenish, 6-8 mm long, to 11 mm in fruit, joined partly to ovary, hypanthium tubular bell-shaped, longer than joined portion, the lobes triangular-egg-shaped, 2-3 mm long, erect; stamens 10." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
• Fruits: "Capsules, about 4 mm long; seeds brown, 0.8-1 mm long, wrinkled-warty in lengthwise rows." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
• Habitat & Range: Rocky soils under moist conditions, occasionally in boggy land, in redwood, mixed evergreen and yellow pine forests from sea level to 1500 metres[276].Western N. America. A garden escape, occasionally naturalized in Britain[17].^[PFAF] " Moist forests, streambanks and thickets in the lowland and montane zones; common in W and E BC south of 57degreeN, mostly absent from central BC north of 51degreeN; N to the Aleutian Islands and S AK, E to AB and S to MT, N ID and CA." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

Medicinal Uses

• A decoction of the pounded plant has been used to restore the appetite and to treat a range of sicknesses[257].^[PFAF]
• Plants chewed as medicine to stop dreams of having sexual intercourse with the dead.[3]^[UM-D-Eth]
• "The roots were chewed by the Maidu to relieve colds and stomachaches. A decoction was used to stimulate a poor appetite" ^{[Vizgirdas WPSN]}

Phytochemicals

• Tellimagrandin II
• "...a novel soluble enzyme in leaves of Tellima grandiflora (fringe cups, Saxifragaceae), a weed that is known as a rich source of ETs. A partially purified enzyme preparation was found to catalyze the conversion of [U-14C]pentagalloylglucose to several radioactively labeled products, while no evidence for the formation of EA was obtained, but the most prominent product was co-eluted with authentic tellimagrandin II" ^{[Kuete MPRA]}
• "In early spring, the leaves of Liquidambar formosana contain high amounts of tellimagrandin II (5), whereas in summer, the amount of tellimagrandin II (5) becomes negligible and two other ellagitannins, pedunculagin (58) and the C-glucosidic casuarinin (57) become predominant throughout summer until autumn. This seasonal variation of the ellagitannin content in Liquidambar formosana was proposed to reflect the following biogenetic filiation (Fig. 64.11): from tellimagrandin II (5) to casuarinin (38) via pedunculagin (58) and liquidambin (59) [66]." [Ramawat NP]
• "Tellimagrandin II is an ellagitannin found in [cloves] S. aromaticum with antiherpesvirus properties [14] ." [Rastogi EBP]
• "Tellimagrandin II prevented the development of different cyanobacteria and some green algae in the agar diffusion assay (Gross et al. 1996). Amounts of 5 Ug (5.3 nmol) lead to a significant effect when tested against several strains of Anabaena Sp., Synechococcus Sp., Synechocytis Sp., Trichormus (Anabaena) variabilis and Nannochloris sp. Cultures of Scenedesmus falcatus and Stigeoclonium tenue were less sensitive." [Reigosa Alleleopathy]
  

Cultivation

• Groundcover: A useful ground cover plant for moist borders, woodlands and rock gardens[200].^[PFAF]
• Aphid Species: Macrosiphum tolmiea found on T. grandiflora in north-western USA and B.C., Canada. [Blackman AWHPH]

Grows well in humus-rich soils in a shady position[257]. Succeeds in any good sweet garden soil that does not dry out in spring[1]. There are several named varieties, selected for their ornamental value[257]. ^[PFAF]

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination is usually fairly rapid. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. The seed can also be sown in the middle of spring in an outdoor seedbed and planted out in early summer. Alternatively, you can sow the seed in an outdoor seedbed in the middle of summer for planting out in the following spring. Division in March or October[1, 111]. It is best to divide the plants in August or early September, making sure that the woody roots are planted quite deeply with only the crown of foliage above the ground[233]. ^[PFAF]

Synonyms

• T. brevifolia ^[PFAF]

Tellima Sp.

1 sp. (Anagram of Mitella) [Jepson2012]

Local Species;

1. Tellima grandiflora - Fringecup [E-flora][PCBC][TSFTK]

References

• [1] Tellima grandiflora, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Tellima%20grandiflora, In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2014. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 9/21/2014]
  
• [1.1] USDA
• [1.2] Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia, Karel Klinka, V. J. Krajina, A. Ceska, A. M. Scagel, 1989
• [1.3] Illustrated Flora of B.C., 1998-2002 Douglas, G.W., G.B. Straley, D.V. Meidinger, and J. Pojar (Editors) http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/Mr/MR_IllustratedFlora.htm
  
• [1.4] BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer , the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.
  
• [Jepson2012] Michael S. Park & Patrick E. Elvander, 2012. Tellima, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=9769, accessed on Mar 16 2014
  
• [PFAF] Tellima grandiflora Plants for a future, Accessed November 17, 2014
• [UmdEth] P. australis, Dan Moerman, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Native American Ethnobotany, Accessed Nov 17, 2014
• [3]Turner, Nancy J., John Thomas, Barry F. Carlson and Robert T. Ogilvie 1983 Ethnobotany of the Nitinaht Indians of Vancouver Island. Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum (p. 127)