Scorzonera humilis

Last updated

Viper's grass
Scorzonera humilis.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Scorzonera
Species:
S. humilis
Binomial name
Scorzonera humilis
L.
Synonyms
List
  • Hieracium scorzoneroidesE.H.L.Krause
  • Podospermum scorzoneroidesTurcz. ex DC.
  • Pseudopodospermum inaequiscapum(Boiss.) Zaika, Sukhor. & N.Kilian
  • Scorzonera acuminataBoiss. & Balansa
  • Scorzonera ahmet-duraniiMakbul & Coșkunç.
  • Scorzonera aksekiensisA.Duran & M.Öztürk
  • Scorzonera alpinaPollini
  • Scorzonera bohemicaF.W.Schmidt
  • Scorzonera candolleiVis.
  • Scorzonera candollei subsp. tenuifolia(Schrad. ex DC.) Nyman
  • Scorzonera clusiiAsso
  • Scorzonera glastifoliaHegetschw.
  • Scorzonera hispanica var. clusii(Asso) Pau
  • Scorzonera humilis var. angustifoliaHoffmanns. & Link
  • Scorzonera humilis var. macrorrhiza(Schleich. ex Gaudin) Rouy
  • Scorzonera humilis subf. nanaJ.Erikson
  • Scorzonera humilis var. plantaginea(Gaudin) Schur
  • Scorzonera humilis var. ramosaHoffmanns. & Link
  • Scorzonera humilis subsp. tenuifolia(Schrad. ex DC.) Arcang.
  • Scorzonera inaequiscapaBoiss.
  • Scorzonera lanataSchrank
  • Scorzonera lanuginosaBaumg.
  • Scorzonera macrorrhizaSchleich. ex Gaudin
  • Scorzonera nervosa Lam.
  • Scorzonera plantagineaGaudin
  • Scorzonera plantaginifoliaSchleich.
  • Scorzonera tenuifoliaSchrad.

Scorzonera humilis, the viper's-grass, [1] is a species of perennial plant. In Britain it is a rare plant, restricted to moist meadows, in Dorset and Warwick in England, and in South Wales.

One unique class of stilbenoid derivative was first isolated from S. humilis. They were named the tyrolobibenzyls after Tyrol in the eastern Alps, where the plant was collected. [2]

Description

It differs from goat's-beard, Tragopogon pratensis , in that it has short, pale green bracts, whereas in Goats Beard they are long and pointed.

It grows 7 to 50 cm.

The leaves are unbranched, elliptical-lanceolate.

The flower heads are 2.5 cm wide, and deep yellow in colour. Flowers from May until July.

The achenes are smooth ribbed, beakless, with similar pappus to Tragopogon pratensis.

It exudes a milky juice from its stem.

[3] [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tragopogon</i> Genus of plants

Tragopogon, also known as goatsbeard or salsify, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It includes the vegetable known as salsify, as well as a number of common wild flowers.

<i>Allium ursinum</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae

Allium ursinum, known as wild garlic, ramsons, cowleekes, cows's leek, cowleek, buckrams, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, Eurasian wild garlic or bear's garlic, is a bulbous perennial flowering plant in the amaryllis family Amaryllidaceae. It is native to Europe and Asia, where it grows in moist woodland. It is a wild relative of onion and garlic, all belonging to the same genus, Allium. There are two recognized subspecies: A. ursinum subsp. ursinum and A. ursinum subsp. ucrainicum.

<i>Artemisia vulgaris</i> Medicinal herb known as common mugwort

Artemisia vulgaris, the common mugwort, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is one of several species in the genus Artemisia commonly known as mugwort, although Artemisia vulgaris is the species most often called mugwort. It is also occasionally known as riverside wormwood, felon herb, chrysanthemum weed, wild wormwood, old Uncle Henry, sailor's tobacco, naughty man, old man, or St. John's plant. Mugworts have been used medicinally and as culinary herbs.

<i>Colchicum autumnale</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Colchicaceae

Colchicum autumnale, commonly known as autumn crocus, meadow saffron, naked boys or naked ladies, is a toxic autumn-blooming flowering plant that resembles the true crocuses, but is a member of the plant family Colchicaceae, unlike the true crocuses, which belong to the family Iridaceae. It is called "naked boys/ladies" because the flowers emerge from the ground long before the leaves appear. Despite the vernacular name of "meadow saffron", this plant is not the source of saffron, which is obtained from the saffron crocus, Crocus sativus – and that plant, too, is sometimes called "autumn crocus".

<i>Tragopogon porrifolius</i> Species of plant

Tragopogon porrifolius is a plant cultivated for its ornamental flower and edible root. It also grows wild in many places and is one of the most widely known species of the salsify genus, Tragopogon. It is commonly known as purple or common salsify, oyster plant, vegetable oyster, Jerusalem star, Jack go to bed, or simply salsify.

<i>Valerianella locusta</i> Species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae

Valerianella locusta, called mâche or mache; common cornsalad; or lamb's lettuce, is a small, herbaceous, annual flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. It is native to Europe, western Asia and north Africa, where it is eaten as a leaf vegetable.

<i>Scorzonera</i> Genus of flowering plants

Scorzonera is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae.

<i>Lathyrus pratensis</i> Species of legume

Lathyrus pratensis or meadow vetchling, yellow pea, meadow pea and meadow pea-vine, is a perennial legume that grows to 1.2 m in height.

<i>Cardamine pratensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae

Cardamine pratensis, the cuckoo flower, lady's smock, mayflower, or milkmaids, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is a perennial herb native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia. The specific name pratensis is Latin for "meadow".

<i>Tragopogon pratensis</i> Species of plant

Tragopogon pratensis is a biennial plant in the family Asteraceae, distributed across Europe and North America, commonly growing in fields and on roadsides. It is found in North America from southern Ontario to Massachusetts; most of England; on the eastern and southern edges of Scotland; and central Ireland but not the coastal edges.

<i>Tragopogon dubius</i> Species of plant

Tragopogon dubius is a species of salsify native to southern and central Europe and western Asia and found as far north and west as northern France. Although it has been reported from Kashmir and India, recent evidence suggests that specimens from these areas may be a different species. Western salsify has been introduced into North America where it has become widespread, being reported from all the continental United States except for a few in the far south-east, and all provinces of Canada except Newfoundland and the northern territories.

<i>Salvia pratensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Salvia pratensis, the meadow clary or meadow sage, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, western Asia and northern Africa. The Latin specific epithet pratensis means "of meadows", referring to its preferred habitat. It also grows in scrub edges and woodland borders.

<i>Succisa pratensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae

Succisa pratensis, also known as devil's-bit or devil's-bit scabious, is a flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. It differs from other similar species in that it has four-lobed flowers, whereas small scabious and field scabious have five lobes and hence it has been placed in a separate genus in the same family. It also grows on damper ground.

<i>Lactuca muralis</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Lactuca muralis, the wall lettuce, is a perennial flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae, also referred to as Mycelis muralis.

<i>Cirsium heterophyllum</i> Species of thistle

Cirsium heterophyllum, the melancholy thistle, is an erect spineless herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Europe and western Asia, where it grows in upland meadows, grasslands, road verges and open woodland.

<i>Bromus commutatus</i> Species of grass

Bromus commutatus, the meadow brome, is an annual or biennial species of plant in the grass family Poaceae. In the United States it is known as hairy chess.

<i>Stellaria nemorum</i> Species of flowering plant in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae

Stellaria nemorum, also known by the common name wood stitchwort, is a stoloniferous herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dihydrostilbenoid</span> Group of chemical compounds

Dihydrostilbenoids (bibenzyls) are natural phenols formed from the dihydrostilbene (bibenzyl) backbone.

<i>Cerastium diffusum</i> Species of flowering plant in the pink family Caryophyllaceae

Cerastium diffusum, the fourstamen chickweed or sea mouse-ear, is a species of flowering plant in the pink and carnation family Caryophyllaceae. It is an annual herb, to 30 cm.high, occurring in western Europe and northern Africa. Found mainly in coastal areas of Algeria, the Baleares, Belgium, Corsica, Denmark, France, the Faroe Islands, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Libya, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, Spain and Sweden. The flowers have 4, petals, 4 or 5 stamens appearing between March and May. The petals are much shorter than the sepals. The leaves are opposite, (sessile) without petioles and the sepals and bracts are all green, without pale margins. The fruit petioles are erect and diffuse at maturity.

<i>Tragopogon orientalis</i> Species of plant

Tragopogon orientalis, common name Oriental goat's beard, is a hemicryptophyte herbaceous annual plant in the family Asteraceae.

References

  1. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. Zidorn, C.; et al. (2000). "Tyrolobibenzyls ‒ Novel secondary metabolites from Scorzonera humilis". Helvetica Chimica Acta. 83 (11): 2920–25. doi:10.1002/1522-2675(20001108)83:11<2920::AID-HLCA2920>3.0.CO;2-5. ISSN   0018-019X.
  3. Blamey, Fitter, Fitter, Marjorie, Richard, Alistair (2003). Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland. A & C Black - London. pp. 294–295. ISBN   0-7136-5944-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. Rose, Francis (1981). The Wild Flower Key. Frederick Warne & Co. pp. 390–391. ISBN   0-7232-2419-6.