Camelina sativa
1910683
220573805
2008-06-20T14:42:42Z
207.59.129.142
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{{Taxobox
| name = Camelina
| image = Camelina sativa eF.jpg
| image_width = 200px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Brassicales]]
| familia = [[Brassicaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Camelina]]''
| species = '''''C. sativa'''''
| binomial = ''Camelina sativa''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]] Crantz
}}
'''''Camelina sativa''''', usually known in English as '''gold-of-pleasure''' or '''false flax''', also occasionally '''wild flax''', '''linseed dodder''', '''camelina''', '''German sesame''', and '''Siberian oilseed''', is a [[flowering plant]] in the family [[Brassicaceae]] which includes [[mustard plant|mustard]], [[cabbage]], [[rapeseed]], [[broccoli]], [[cauliflower]], [[kale]], [[brussels sprouts]]. It is native to [[Northern Europe]] and to [[Central Asia]]n areas, but has been introduced to [[North America]], possibly as a [[weed]] in [[flax]].
It has been traditionally cultivated as an [[oilseed]] crop to produce [[vegetable oil]] and [[animal feed]]. There is ample archeological evidence to show it has been grown in [[Europe]] for at least 3,000 years. The earliest findsites include the [[Neolithic]] levels at [[Auvernier]], [[Switzerland]] (dated to the [[second millennium BC]]), the [[Chalcolithic]] level at [[Pefkakia]] in [[Greece]] (dated to the [[third millennium BC]]), and [[Sucidava-Celei]], [[Romania]] (''circa'' [[2200s BC|2200 BC]]).<ref name=Zohary&Hopf>Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, ''Domestication of plants in the Old World'', third edition (Oxford: University Press, 2000), pp. 138f</ref> During the [[Bronze age]] and [[Iron age]] it was an important agricultural crop in northern Greece beyond the current range of the [[olive]].
<ref>{{Harvard citation|Jones|Valamoti|2005|p=575}}</ref><ref>{{Harvard citation|Megaloudi|2006|p=57}}</ref> It apparently continued to be grown at the time of the [[Roman Empire]], although its Greek and Latin names are not known.<ref>{{Harvard citation|Dalby|2003|p=161}}</ref> According to Zohary and Hopf, until the 1940's ''C. sativa'' was an important oil crop in eastern and central Europe, and currently has continued to be cultivated in a few parts of Europe for its seed which was used,<ref name=Zohary&Hopf/> for example, in [[oil lamps]] (until the modern harnessing of [[natural gas|natural]] and [[propane]] and [[electricity]]) and as an edible oil.
The crop is now being researched due to its exceptionally high levels (up to 45%) of [[omega-3]] [[fatty acid]]s, which is uncommon in vegetable sources. Over 50% of the fatty acids in [[cold pressed]] Camelina oil are [[polyunsaturated]]. The major components are [[alpha-linolenic acid]] - C18:3 (omega-3-fatty acid, approx 35-45%) and [[linoleic acid]] - C18:2 ([[omega-6]] fatty acid, approx 15-20%). The oil is also very rich in natural [[antioxidants]], such as [[tocopherol]]s, making this highly [[stable]] oil very resistant to [[oxidation]] and [[rancidity]]. It has 1 - 3% erucic acid. The [[vitamin E]] content of camelina oil is approximately 110mg/100g. It is well suited for use as a [[cooking oil]]. It has an [[almond]]-like [[flavor]] and [[aroma]]. It may become more commonly known and become an important food oil for the future.
Because of its certain apparent health benefits and its technical stability gold-of-pleasure and camelina oil are being added to the growing list of foods considered as [[functional foods]]. Gold-of-pleasure is also of interest for its very low requirements for [[tillage]] and weed control. This could potentially allow [[vegetable oil]] to be produced more cheaply than from traditional oil crops, which would be particularly attractive to [[biodiesel]] producers looking for a feedstock cheap enough to allow them to compete with [[petroleum]] [[diesel]] and [[petrol|gasoline]]. [http://www.camelinacompany.com Great Plains - The Camelina Company] began research efforts with camelina over 10 years ago. They are currently contracting with growers throughout the U.S. and Canada to grow camelina for biodiesel production. A company in Seattle, Targeted Growth, is also developing camelina.<ref>{{Harvard citation|Seattle Times|, November 21, 2007|page=C1}}</ref>
The subspecies ''C. sativa'' subsp. ''linicola'' is considered a [[weed]] in [[flax]] fields. In fact, attempts to separate its seed from flax seeds with a winnowing machine over the years have selected for seeds which are similar in size to flax seeds, an example of [[Vavilovian mimicry]].
==Notes==
<references />
==References==
*{{Harvard reference | Surname=Dalby | Given=Andrew | Authorlink=Andrew Dalby | Title=Food in the ancient world from A to Z | Publisher=Routledge | Place=London, New York | Year=2003 | ISBN=0415232597 }}
*{{Citation | doi = 10.1007/s00334-005-0004-z | last1 = Jones | first1 = G. | last2 = Valamoti | first2 = S.M. | year = 2005 | title = Lallemantia, an imported or introduced oil plant in Bronze Age northern Greece | journal = Vegetation History and Archaeobotany | volume = 14 | issue = 4 | pages = 571-577}}
*{{Harvard reference | Surname=Megaloudi | Given=Fragkiska | Title=Plants and Diet in Greece from Neolithic to Classic Periods: the archaeobotanical remains | Publisher=Archaeopress | Place=Oxford | Year=2006 | ISBN=1841719498 }}
*D.H. Putnam, J.T. Budin, L.A. Field, and W.M. Breene (1993) ''[http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1993/v2-314.html Camelina: A Promising Low-Input Oilseed]''. p. 314-322. In: J. Janick and J.E. Simon (eds.), New crops. Wiley, New York.
*{{Harvard reference | Surname=Seattle Times (Angel Gonzalez) | Authorlink=Angel Gonzalez | Title=Seeding the way to better biofuels | Place=Seattle, WA, USA | Year=November 21, 2007}}
==External links==
{{commons}}
*[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CASA2 PLANTS Profile: Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz]
*[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2003.12.004 "Evaluation of Camelina sativa oil as a feedstock for biodiesel production", '' Industrial Crops and Products'', Vol. 21 Issue 1 (January 2005), pp. 25-31]
*[http://www.camelinacompany.com Great Plains - The Camelina Company]
[[Category:Brassicaceae]]
[[Category:Flora of Europe]]
[[Category:Flora of Asia]]
[[Category:Energy crops]]
[[Category:Non-food crops]]
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