Lithospermum


Lithospermum is a genus of plants belonging to the family Boraginaceae. The genus is distributed nearly worldwide, but most are native to the Americas and the center of diversity is in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Species are known generally as gromwells or stoneseeds.

Taxonomy

Plants of the World Online currently accepts 84 species. Other sources accept about 50 to 60 species in the genus. A 2009 molecular study showed that the genus Onosmodium is included within Lithospermum.

Species

84 species are accepted.
  • Lithospermum affine
  • Lithospermum afromontanum
  • Lithospermum album
  • Lithospermum altamiranense
  • Lithospermum astienzae
  • Lithospermum azuayense
  • Lithospermum barbigerum
  • Lithospermum berlandieri
  • Lithospermum bolivariense
  • Lithospermum calcicola
  • Lithospermum californicum – California stoneseed
  • Lithospermum calycosum – Chinati stoneseed or roundleaf stoneseed
  • Lithospermum canescens – hoary puccoon, Indian-paint
  • Lithospermum caroliniense – Carolina gromwell, hairy puccoon
  • *Lithospermum caroliniense var. caroliniense – western marbleseed
  • *Lithospermum caroliniense var. croceum
  • Lithospermum chiapense
  • Lithospermum chihuahuanum
  • Lithospermum cinerascens
  • Lithospermum cinereum
  • Lithospermum cobrense – smooththroat stoneseed
  • Lithospermum confine – Arizona stoneseed
  • Lithospermum confundum
  • Lithospermum cuneifolium
  • Lithospermum cuzcoense
  • Lithospermum decipiens
  • Lithospermum discolor
  • Lithospermum distichum
  • Lithospermum diversifolium
  • Lithospermum dodrantale
  • Lithospermum elenae
  • Lithospermum erythrorhizon – purple gromwell, red-root gromwell, 紫草 zicao, 紫草 murasaki･sō
  • Lithospermum exsertum
  • Lithospermum flavum
  • Lithospermum flexuosum
  • Lithospermum gayanum
  • Lithospermum guatemalense
  • Lithospermum hancockianum
  • Lithospermum helleri
  • Lithospermum hirsutum
  • Lithospermum incisum – narrowleaf stoneseed, fringed gromwell
  • Lithospermum indecorum
  • Lithospermum ireneae
  • Lithospermum jimulcense
  • Lithospermum johnstonii
  • Lithospermum kelloggianum
  • Lithospermum latifolium – American stoneseed
  • Lithospermum leonotis
  • Lithospermum leymebambense
  • Lithospermum macbridei
  • Lithospermum matamorense – rough stoneseed
  • Lithospermum mediale
  • Lithospermum mirabile – San Antonio stoneseed or Parks' stoneseed
  • Lithospermum molle – softhair marbleseed
  • Lithospermum muelleri
  • Lithospermum multiflorum – manyflowered stoneseed
  • Lithospermum nelsonii
  • Lithospermum notatum
  • Lithospermum oaxacanum
  • Lithospermum oblongifolium
  • Lithospermum obovatum
  • Lithospermum occidentale
  • Lithospermum officinale – common gromwell, European stoneseed
  • Lithospermum papillosum
  • Lithospermum parviflorum – eastern prairie marbleseed
  • Lithospermum peruvianum
  • Lithospermum pinetorum
  • Lithospermum pringlei
  • Lithospermum revolutum
  • Lithospermum rodriguezii
  • Lithospermum rosei
  • Lithospermum ruderale – western stoneseed, Columbia puccoon, wayside gromwell, whiteweed
  • Lithospermum rzedowskii
  • Lithospermum scabrum
  • Lithospermum strictum
  • Lithospermum subsetosum
  • Lithospermum sylvestre
  • Lithospermum tenerum
  • Lithospermum thurberi
  • Lithospermum trinervium
  • Lithospermum tuberosum – southern stoneseed, tuberous gromwell
  • Lithospermum tubuliflorum
  • Lithospermum turneri
  • Lithospermum unicum
  • Lithospermum virginianum
  • Lithospermum viride – green stoneseed

    Formerly placed here

  • Aegonychon purpurocaeruleum – purple gromwell
  • Buglossoides arvensis – field gromwell, corn gromwell

    Ecology

Lithospermum leaves are eaten by the caterpillars of certain Lepidoptera, such as the moth Ethmia pusiella which has been recorded on L. officinale.

Uses

The dried root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon is a Chinese herbal medicine with various antiviral and biological activities, including inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Lithospermum erythrorhizon is native to Japan, where it has been traditionally used to make a purple dye. In southwestern North America, a species of this genus was used as a contraceptive by the Shoshone Native American tribe.

Fossil record

7 petrified nutlets and nutlet fragments of a Lithospermum species have been described from the Late Miocene Ash Hollow Formation, Ogallala Group, five km south of Martin in Bennett County, South Dakota. †Lithospermum dakotense sp. nov. shows similarities in size, shape, attachment and epidermal cell patterns to extant Lithospermum species. The fossil nutlets were preserved in various stages of maturity. The fossils closely resemble the nutlets of Lithospermum caroliniense and Lithospermum incisum.