Amsinckia
genus of plants
Amsinckia is a genus of flowering plants commonly known as fiddlenecks. The common name is derived from the flower stems, which curl over at the top in a manner reminiscent of the head of a fiddle. Fiddlenecks are in the family Boraginaceae, along with borage and forget-me-nots. The genus is named after the patrician Amsinck family in honour of the Hamburg head of state and patron of botany Wilhelm Amsinck (1752–1831).
Distribution and description
The fiddlenecks are native to western North America and south-western South America, but they are naturalized in other regions. They are annuals, many of them bristly. Most have an erect stem, whose height varies from 20 to 120 cm (7.9 to 47 in). In most species the flowers are yellow, often with an orange tinge. Most are found at relatively low altitudes, below 500 metres (1,600 ft).
The seeds and foliage of fiddlenecks are poisonous to livestock, particularly cattle, because they contain alkaloids and high concentrations of nitrates.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Amsinckia” is genus of plants. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Amsinckia, genus and plants, not as a finished interpretation.
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This entry incorporates text from “Amsinckia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.