Scorzonera


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:
  • Scorzonera adilii
  • Scorzonera alaica
  • Scorzonera alba
  • Scorzonera albertoregelia
  • Scorzonera albicaulis
  • Scorzonera alborzensis
  • Scorzonera alpigena
  • Scorzonera angustifolia
  • Scorzonera aniana
  • Scorzonera argyrea
  • Scorzonera aristata
  • Scorzonera armeniaca
  • Scorzonera bicolor
  • Scorzonera boissieri
  • Scorzonera bracteosa
  • Scorzonera bungei
  • Scorzonera bupleurifolia
  • Scorzonera calcitrapifolia
  • Scorzonera cana
  • Scorzonera charadzae
  • Scorzonera coriacea
  • Scorzonera crassicaulis
  • Scorzonera curvata
  • Scorzonera deliciosa
  • Scorzonera dianthoides
  • Scorzonera drarii
  • Scorzonera ekimii
  • Scorzonera ferganica
  • Scorzonera fistulosa
  • Scorzonera flaccida
  • Scorzonera franchetii
  • Scorzonera gageoides
  • Scorzonera glabra
  • Scorzonera gokcheoglui
  • Scorzonera gorovanica
  • Scorzonera grigoraschvilii
  • Scorzonera grossheimii
  • Scorzonera grubovii
  • Scorzonera helodes
  • Scorzonera hondae
  • Scorzonera humilis
  • Scorzonera idae
  • Scorzonera iliensis
  • Scorzonera isophylla
  • Scorzonera ispahanica
  • Scorzonera joharchii
  • Scorzonera karabelensis
  • Scorzonera karkasensis
  • Scorzonera kirpicznikovii
  • Scorzonera kozlowskyi
  • Scorzonera kurtii
  • Scorzonera lacera
  • Scorzonera lachnostegia
  • Scorzonera laciniata
  • Scorzonera limnophila
  • Scorzonera lindbergii
  • Scorzonera luntaiensis
  • Scorzonera mariovoensis
  • Scorzonera meshhedensis
  • Scorzonera meyeri
  • Scorzonera microcalathia
  • Scorzonera nivalis
  • Scorzonera pacis
  • Scorzonera pamirica
  • Scorzonera paradoxa
  • Scorzonera parviflora
  • Scorzonera persepolitana
  • Scorzonera persica
  • Scorzonera petrovii
  • Scorzonera pratorum
  • Scorzonera pulchra
  • Scorzonera purpurea
  • Scorzonera racemosa
  • Scorzonera radiata
  • Scorzonera radicosa
  • Scorzonera renzii
  • Scorzonera rosea
  • Scorzonera rupicola
  • Scorzonera safievii
  • Scorzonera schischkinii
  • Scorzonera schweinfurthii
  • Scorzonera scopariiformis
  • Scorzonera scyria
  • Scorzonera sericeolanata
  • Scorzonera serpentinica
  • Scorzonera sinensis
  • Scorzonera songorica
  • Scorzonera subaphylla
  • Scorzonera sublanata
  • Scorzonera tadshikorum
  • Scorzonera taiwanensis
  • Scorzonera tragopogonoides
  • Scorzonera transiliensis
  • Scorzonera tuberculata
  • Scorzonera tunicata
  • Scorzonera turkestanica
  • Scorzonera tuzgoluensis
  • Scorzonera vavilovii
  • Scorzonera veratrifolia
  • Scorzonera verrucosa
  • Scorzonera virgata
  • Scorzonera wendelboi
  • Scorzonera xylobasis
  • Scorzonera yemensis
  • Scorzonera yildirimlii
  • ''Scorzonera zorkunensis''

    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.