Scorzonera


Image:Scorzonera humilis.jpg|thumb|right|Scorzonera humilis
Scorzonera is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae.
Species of the genus are found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Its center of diversity is in the Mediterranean.
Scorzonera is recorded as a food plant for the larva of the nutmeg, a species of moth.

Species

The following species are recognised in the genus Scorzonera:

Etymology

The name of the genus has an uncertain etymology; it may derive from multiple roots such as Old French "scorzon", Italian "scorsone", and Spanish "escorzonera", meaning “black rind”; but also viper, perhaps from the use of its roots as an antidote to snake bites, or from the Catalan "escurçonera", derived from "escurçó", i.e. viper.

Secondary metabolites

Some Scorzonera species contain lactones, including members of the guaianolide class of sesquiterpene lactones. Flavonoids found in Scorzonera include apigenin, kaempferol, luteolin, and quercetin. Other secondary metabolites reported from the genus include caffeoylquinic acids, coumarins, lignans, stilbenoids, and triterpenoids. One unique class of stilbenoid derivative was first isolated from Scorzonera humilis. They were named the tyrolobibenzyls after Tyrol in the eastern Alps, where the plant was collected.