Scorzonera humilis

Viper's grass
Scientific classification
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]}

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.
4. Rose, Francis (1981). The Wild Flower Key. Frederick Warne & Co. pp. 390–391. ISBN   0-7232-2419-6.