Cicerbita


Cicerbita is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Asia and Europe. They are known commonly as blue sow thistles. The word Cicerbita is from the Italian, meaning "chickory-like", a comparison to Cichorium, the chicory genus.

Description

Cicerbita are usually perennial plants, often with rhizomes. Annual species are also known. The leaves are undivided or pinnate. The flower head has 5 to 30 florets in shades of blue or purple, or occasionally white or yellow. The achene is ribbed and has a pappus of bristles and hairs.

Systematics

The plants of this genus were included in genus Lactuca, the lettuces, until 1822, when the first of them were separated based on the morphology of the fruits. The definition of the genus is still in debate and very unclear.

Species

The following species are recognised in the genus Cicerbita:
  • Cicerbita acuminata
  • Cicerbita adenophora
  • Cicerbita alii
  • Cicerbita alpina
  • Cicerbita auriculiformis
  • Cicerbita azurea
  • Cicerbita benthamii
  • Cicerbita boissieri
  • Cicerbita bourgaei
  • Cicerbita brassicifolia
  • Cicerbita chiangdaoensis – Thailand
  • Cicerbita crambifolia
  • Cicerbita crassicaulis
  • Cicerbita cyprica
  • Cicerbita deltoidea
  • Cicerbita × favratii
  • Cicerbita garrettii
  • Cicerbita kovalevskiana
  • Cicerbita ladyginii
  • Cicerbita macrophylla
  • Cicerbita madatapensis
  • Cicerbita microcephala
  • Cicerbita mulgedioides
  • Cicerbita neglecta
  • Cicerbita nepalensis – Nepal
  • Cicerbita nuristanica – Afghanistan
  • Cicerbita olgae
  • Cicerbita pancicii
  • Cicerbita persica
  • Cicerbita picridiformis
  • Cicerbita plumieri
  • Cicerbita prenanthoides
  • Cicerbita putii
  • Cicerbita racemosa
  • Cicerbita rechingeriana
  • Cicerbita roborowskii
  • Cicerbita rosea
  • Cicerbita sonchifolia
  • Cicerbita songarica
  • Cicerbita subplumosa
  • Cicerbita thianschanica – Altay Republic, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Xinjiang
  • Cicerbita variabilis
  • Cicerbita zeravschanica – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
  • ''Cicerbita zhenduoi''

    Uses

Cicerbita alpina is eaten as a vegetable in Italy, part of its native range. The young shoots are boiled and served in olive oil or tomato sauce. They are considered a delicacy and can be had in restaurants. The shoots in oil can be purchased in markets under the local name insalata dell'orso. The plant is collected from the wild and there is some concern that it may be threatened with overexploitation, so local ordinances now limit wild collection in some areas. Field trials are underway to examine the possibility of cultivating the plant in agriculture.