<< Previous Next >>

Common Foxglove


Common Foxglove
Photo Information
Copyright: bob cat (bobcat08) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 379 W: 19 N: 361] (1431)
Genre: Plants
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-06-06
Categories: Flowers
Camera: Canon G5
Exposure: f/4, 1/800 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-10-11 10:47
Viewed: 797
Points: 22
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [Dutch]
A few days ago I posted an photo Dwingelerveld II. You see on the FG an couple of Common Foxgloves. I made a close-up. I use a mini tripod. That animal is a ant. I hope you like it. TFS Bob

Digitalis purpurea (Common Foxglove)
Scientific classification

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Digitalis
Species: D. purpurea
Binomial name
Digitalis purpurea L.

Digitalis purpurea (Common Foxglove, Purple Foxglove or Lady's Glove), is a flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae (formerly treated in the family Scrophulariaceae), native to most of Europe.

It is a herbaceous biennial plant. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple, 10-35 cm long and 5-12 cm broad, grey-green, downy, and with a finely toothed margin; they form a tight rosette at ground level in the first year. The flowering stem develops in the second year, growing to 1-2 m tall. The flowers are arranged in a showy, terminal, elongated cluster, each tubular, pendent, purple (also pink, rose, yellow, or white in selected cultivars). They are also spotted inside bottom of the tube. The fruit is a capsule which splits open at maturity to release the numerous tiny (0.1-0.2 mm) seeds.

There are three subspecies:
Digitalis purpurea subsp. purpurea – most of Europe
Digitalis purpurea subsp. heywoodii – Iberia
Digitalis purpurea subsp. mariana – Iberia

Toxicity

Due to the presence of the cardiac glycoside digitoxin, the leaves, flowers and seeds of this plant are all poisonous to humans and some animals and can be fatal if eaten.

Extracted from the leaves, this same compound, whose clinical use was pioneered as digitalis by William Withering, is used as a medication for heart failure. He recognized that it "reduced dropsy", increased urine flow and had a powerful effect on heart. Unlike the purified pharmacological forms, extracts of this plant didn't frequently cause intoxication because they induced nausea and vomiting within minutes of ingestion, preventing the patient from consuming more.

The main toxins in Digitalis are the two chemically similar cardiac glycosides: digitoxin and digoxin. Like other cardiac glycosides, the Digitalis toxins exert their effects by inhibiting the ATPase activity of a complex of transmembrane proteins that form the sodium potassium ATPase pump, (Na+/K+-ATPase). Inhibition of the Na+/K+-ATPase in turn causes a rise not only in intracellular Na+, but also in calcium, which in turn results in increased force of myocardial muscle contractions. In other words, at precisely the right dosage, Digitalis toxin can cause the heart to beat more strongly. However, digitoxin, digoxin and several other cardiac glycosides, such as ouabain, are known to have steep dose-response curves, i.e. minute increases in the dosage of these drugs can make the difference between an ineffective dose and a fatal one.

Symptoms of Digitalis poisoning include a low pulse rate, nausea, vomiting, and uncoordinated contractions of different parts of the heart leading to cardiac arrest and finally death.

Uses

The plant is sometimes grown in gardens. In suitable conditions it generally seeds itself in partial shade, and can become a minor weed.

Selected forms, either for colour or for dwarf habit, are sold as pot plants.

Use in Molecular Biology: Digoxigenin

Digoxigenin (DIG) is a steroid found exclusively in the flowers and leaves of the plants Digitalis purpurea and Digitalis lanata. It is used as a molecular probe to detect DNA or RNA. It can easily be attached to nucleotides by chemical modifications. DIG molecules are often linked to uridine nucleotides; DIG labeled uridine (DIG-U) can then be incorporated into RNA probes via in vitro transcription. Once hybridisation occurs in situ, RNA probes with the incorporated DIG-U can be detected with anti-DIG antibodies that are conjugated to alkaline phosphatase. To reveal the hybridised transcripts, alkaline phosphatase can be reacted with a chromogen to produce a colour precipitate.

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitalis_purpurea
gracious, jhm, Juyona, Bass, SunToucher, nainnain, fartash, Janice, marhowie has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes.
Add Critique [Critiquing Guidelines] 
Only registered TrekNature members may write critiques.
Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To marhowie: it's freebobcat08 1 01-31 07:24
To pablominto: nice evening and thanksbobcat08 1 01-27 10:11
To Janice: presentbobcat08 1 12-06 00:15
To fartash: have a nice weekendbobcat08 1 10-26 03:11
To nainnain: mercibobcat08 1 10-22 13:00
To SunToucher: dank je welbobcat08 2 10-21 03:14
To gracious: thanksbobcat08 1 10-11 22:38
To jhm: dank je welbobcat08 1 10-11 22:37
To viv: dankbobcat08 1 10-11 22:34
To Bass: thank youbobcat08 1 10-11 22:32
To Juyona: graciasbobcat08 1 10-11 22:30
You must be logged in to start a discussion.

Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • jhm Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 649 W: 0 N: 178] (628)
  • [2007-10-11 11:16]
  • [+]

Hallo Bob,

Hier is hij al de macro van het vinderhoedkruid, in weze geen gemakkelijke foto om te nemen.
Maar toch bent u er in geslaagd om iets moois te presenteren. Goed foto werk.

Groeten,
John.

  • Great 
  • viv Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 297 W: 3 N: 653] (3307)
  • [2007-10-11 12:40]
  • [+]

Hoi Bob,
Wat een geweldige compositie, zeer apart.

Groetjes
Vivian

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2269 W: 10 N: 2650] (15641)
  • [2007-10-11 14:45]
  • [+]

Hola Bob,
preciosa macro,
excelente foco,
color y pov...
saludos

  • Great 
  • Bass Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 115 W: 0 N: 127] (504)
  • [2007-10-11 18:06]
  • [+]

Hi Bob,
great pic of this digitalis! amazin!! really nice work with the sky and the colours of the flower. Very good macro, the ant gives a good detail of the sizes.
Great macro, excellent focus.
well done.
TFS
brenda

Hello my dear friend Bob,
You had done very well on this excellent photo of the Foxglove!
the pov is excellent chosen with perfect exposure and focus!
The sharpness and clarity is amazing also the colouration is so beautiful!
I loved it very much!
well done, Bob
Tony

Hoi Bob,
Super strakke foto van deze digitalis. Het feit dat je tegen een lichte achtergond hebt gefotografeerd en toch zo veel kleur en detail hebt weten te houden in de bloemen is erg indrukwekkend. De blauwe lucht en het zacht rose en paars van de bloem geeft een erg mooi contrast. Details en compositie zijn prachtig. En dat spinnetje is natuurlijk super.
Groeten,
Niek

hello
désolée de ne pas avoir vu, cette si jolie macro, beau travail de pro!! couleurs jolies et nettes
bravo, merci, amitiès
edith

Hello Bob
Wooow Very nice shot of this beautiful flower,
Perfect focusing,exposure and BG,Welldone.

Regards
Fartash

Hi Bob, these are beautiful flowers too - well, just about all flowers are beautiful!!
But these always look so magestic. I like your POV and especially showing the ant
Well done
Janice

Hello Bob,
Lovely details have been recorded in the delicate flowers!
Attractive colour palette and sharp fine details, macro work is skilfully done...
Interesting use of sky as background in a well composed image!
Greetings,
Pablo -

Interesting POV in your flower closeup Bob, the sky BG is great!
Nice detail, color, and the ants a nice addition also :)
Well done,
Howard

Calibration Check
















0123456789ABCDEF