Gunnera manicata

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Ordo: Gunnerales

Familia: Gunneraceae
Genus: Gunnera
Species: Gunnera manicata
Name

Gunnera manicata Linden ex Delchev., 1867
Synonyms

Heterotypic
Gunnera brasiliensis Schindl. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.), Pflanzenr., IV, 225: 125 (1905).

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Southern America
Regional: Brazil
Brazil South

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

André, É.F., 1866. Pl. Feuill. Ornem.: 171
Linden, J.J., 1867. Revue Horticole. Paris 39:218. 1867 (E. André, Ill. Hort. 20:156. 1873)

Additional references

Govaerts, R.H.A. 2003. World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Database in ACCESS: 1-216203. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. [unavailable for the public] Reference page.
Idárraga-Piedrahita, A., Ortiz, R.D.C., Callejas Posada, R. & Merello, M. (eds.) (2011). Flora de Antioquia: Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares 2: 1-939. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Gunnera manicata in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2021 Sep 30. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. Sep. Gunnera manicata. Published online. Accessed: 30 Sep.
Tropicos.org 2021. Gunnera manicata. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 30 Sep 2021.
Hassler, M. 2021. Gunnera manicata. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2021. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2021 Sep 30. Reference page.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Gunnera manicata in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 09-Oct-10.

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Mammutblatt oder auch Riesen-Rhabarber
suomi: Jättigunnera
français: Rhubarbe géante
Nederlands: Mammoetblad
polski: Gunnera olbrzymia, parzeplin brazylijski

Gunnera manicata, known as Brazilian giant-rhubarb[1] or giant rhubarb,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Gunneraceae from Brazil.[3][4]
Gunnera.manicata.arp.750pix.jpg

It is a large, clump-forming herbaceous perennial growing to 2.5 m (8 ft) tall by 4 m (13 ft) or more. The leaves of G. manicata grow to an impressive size. Leaves with diameters well in excess of 120 cm (4 ft) are commonplace, with a spread of 3 m × 3 m (10 ft × 10 ft) on a mature plant. The underside of the leaf and the whole stalk have spikes on them. In early summer it bears tiny red-green flowers in conical branched panicles, followed by small, spherical fruit. However, it is primarily cultivated for its massive leaves.[4]

This plant grows best in damp conditions such as near garden ponds, but dislikes winter cold and wet.[5]

Despite the common name "giant rhubarb", this plant is not closely related to true rhubarb. It was named after a Norwegian bishop and naturalist Johan Ernst Gunnerus, who also named and published a description about the basking shark.

It is native to the Serra do Mar mountains of Brazil, where it is used in traditional medicine for sexually transmitted diseases.[6]
References

BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Gunnera manicata". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
Wanntorp, Livia; Wanntorp, Hans-Erik; Källersjö, Mari (2002-08-01). "The identity of Gunnera manicata Linden ex André - resolving a Brazilian-Colombian enigma". Taxon. 51 (3): 493–497.
RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
"Gunnera manicata". RHS. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
Mariotti, Kristiane de Cássia; Schuh, Roselena Silvestri; Matos Nunes, Jéssica de; Salamoni, Sabrina Pinto; Meirelles, Gabriela; Barreto, Fabiano; Von Poser, Gilsane Lino; Singer, Rodrigo Bustos; Dallegrave, Eliane; Van Der Sand, Sueli Teresinha; Limberger, Renata Pereira (Jan 2014). "Chemical constituents and pharmacological profile of Gunnera manicata L. extracts". Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 50 (1). Retrieved 20 December 2016.