Dictamnus albus

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{Speciesbox |image = Dictamnus albus LC0401.jpg |taxon = Dictamnus albus |authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]] |synonyms = {{Collapsible list |title = Synonyms list | *''[[Dictamnus altaicus]]'' Fisch. ex Royle *''[[Dictamnus angustifolius]]'' G.Don ex Sweet *''[[Dictamnus caucasicus]]'' (Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Fisch. ex Grossh. *''[[Dictamnus dasycarpus]]'' f. velutinus (Nakai) W.Lee *''[[Dictamnus fraxinella]]'' Link *''[[Dictamnus generalis]]'' E.H.L.Krause *''[[Dictamnus gymnostylis]]'' Steven *''[[Dictamnus himalayensis]]'' Royle *''[[Dictamnus hispanicus]]'' Webb ex Willk. *''[[Dictamnus macedonicus]]'' (Borbás) Pénzes *''[[Dictamnus microphyllus]]'' Schur *''[[Dictamnus obtusiflorus]]'' W.D.J.Koch *''[[Dictamnus odorus]]'' Salisb. *''[[Dictamnus sessilis]]'' Wallr. *''[[Dictamnus solitarius]]'' Stokes *''[[Dictamnus suffultus]]'' Wallr. *''[[Dictamnus tadshikorum]]'' Vved. *''[[Fraxinella alba]]'' (L.) Gaertn. *''[[Fraxinella dictamnus]]'' Moench }} |synonyms_ref = <ref name="POWO_772356-1">{{cite web |title=''Dictamnus albus'' L&period; |work=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew|url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:772356-1 |access-date=2021-09-21 }}</ref> }}

'''''Dictamnus albus''''' is a [[species]] of [[flowering plant]] in the [[Family (taxonomy)|family]] [[Rutaceae]]. It is also known as '''burning bush''',<ref name=GRIN>{{GRIN | ''Dictamnus albus'' | 13928 | accessdate = 24 June 2015}}</ref> '''dittany''',<ref name=GRIN/> '''gas plant'''<ref name=GRIN/> or '''fraxinella'''.<ref name=GRIN/> This [[herbaceous plant|herbaceous]] [[perennial plant|perennial]] has several geographical variants.<ref name=RHSAZ>{{cite book|title=RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants|year=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-1405332965|pages=1136}}</ref> It is [[native plant|native]] to warm, open woodland habitats in southern Europe, north Africa and much of Asia.

==Description== This plant grows about {{convert|40|cm|0|abbr=on}} to {{convert|100|cm|0|abbr=on}} high. Its [[flower]]s form a loose pyramidal spike and vary in colour from pale purple to white. The flowers are five-petalled with long projecting [[stamens]]. The leaves resemble those of an ash tree.<ref name=RHSAZ />

==Cultivation== Several [[variety (botany)|varieties]] and [[cultivars]] have been selected for garden use. The variety ''D. albus'' var. ''purpureus'' in which the violet-purple is confined to veining of white petals with a slight blush, has gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]].<ref>{{cite web|title=''Dictamnus albus'' var. ''purpureus''|url=http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=655|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121224163235/http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=655|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 24, 2012|publisher=Royal Horticultural Society|access-date=24 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants - Ornamental | date = July 2017 | page = 29 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | access-date = 6 February 2018}}</ref> ''Dictamnus'' is tap-rooted, making mature plants difficult to establish and resistant to division; young plants often need three years before they begin to flower, and since it is late to break into leaf in spring, even quite mature clumps may be harmed with vigorous soil-working in spring. For all these reasons, added to toxicity of the foliage, ''Dictamnus'' is rarely seen in American gardens.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

==Toxicity== The leaves have a [[bitter (taste)|bitter]] and unpalatable taste. Despite the lemon-like smell, the plant is acrid when eaten. All parts of the plant may cause mild stomach upset if eaten, and contact with the foliage may cause [[phytophotodermatitis]].<ref name=RHSAZ />

==Volatile oils== The name "burning bush" derives from the [[essential oil|volatile oils]] produced by the plant, which can catch fire readily in hot weather,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=286761|title = Dictamnus albus - Plant Finder}}</ref> leading to comparisons with the [[burning bush]] of the [[Bible]], including the suggestion that this is the plant involved there. The daughter of Swedish [[botanist]] [[Carl Linnaeus]] is said to have ignited the air once, at the end of a particularly hot, windless summer day, above ''Dictamnus'' plants, using a simple matchstick. The volatile oils have a reputed component of [[isoprene]].

==Chemistry== More than 100 chemical constituents have been isolated from the genus ''Dictamnus'', including [[alkaloid]]s, [[limonoid]] [[triterpenoid]]s, [[flavonoid]]s, [[sesquiterpenoid]]s, [[coumarin]]s, and [[Phenylpropanoid]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Gao X. |author2=Zhao P.-H. |author3=Hu J.-F. | title = Chemical constituents of plants from the genus ''Dictamnus'' | journal = Chemistry and Biodiversity | volume = 8 | issue = 7 | pages = 1234–1244 | year = 2011 | doi = 10.1002/cbdv.201000132 | pmid = 21766445|s2cid=46187608 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

==Gallery== <gallery> File:Illustration Dictamnus albus0.jpg|Illustration from ''Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz'' 1885 File:Dictamnus albus.JPG File:Blüten der Dictamnus albus.jpg File:Rutaceae - DIctamnus albus.JPG File:Dictamnus albus 003.JPG|Fruit File:Rutaceae - DIctamnus albus-1.JPG </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.thegardenhelper.com/Dictamnus.htm Growing a Burning Bush, Dictamnus albus, in your Garden] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130219052407/http://www.thegardenhelper.com/dictamnus.htm |date=2013-02-19 }} *[http://www.backyardgardener.com/pren/pg43.html Dictamnus - Gas Plant, Burning Bush, Perennials Guide to Planting Flowers] *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQTZyS7BKV8 Video - Burning bush on fire]

[[Category:Medicinal plants of Africa]] [[Category:Medicinal plants of Asia]] [[Category:Medicinal plants of Europe]] [[Category:Flora of Ukraine]] [[Category:Zanthoxyloideae]] [[Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]] [[Category:Plants described in 1753]]