Scrophulariaceae

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Figwort family

Scrophularia nodosa

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Scrophulariaceae Juss.

Genera

See text.

Scrophulariaceae, the figwort family, is a family of plants. The type genus is Scrophularia L..

In the past it was treated as comprising about 275 genera and over 5,000 species, but its circumscription has been radically altered since numerous molecular phylogenies have shown the traditional circumscription to be grossly polyphyletic. Many genera have recently been transferred to other families within the Lamiales, including several new families (Olmstead et al., 2001; Olmstead, 2003). Other families of the Lamiales have also had their circumscriptions enlarged to accommodate genera transferred from Scrophulariacae s.l. Members of the Scrophulariaceae have a cosmopolitan distribution, with the majority found in temperate areas, including tropical mountains.

The family includes some medicinal plants, among them:

Leptandra, Black root, Culver's root, Leptandra
Rehmannia, Chinese foxglove, used in Traditional Chinese medicine
Scrophularia, figworts
Verbascum, mulleins

[edit] Genera

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Agalinis Raf. -- False foxglove
Alectra Thunb.
Alonsoa Ruiz & Pav.
Aureolaria Raf. -- Yellow False foxglove
Brachystigma Pennell -- Desert foxglove
Buchnera L. -- Bluehearts
Buddleja -- Butterfly-bush
Capraria L.
Dasistoma Raf.
Diplacus Nutt. -- Bush monkeyflower
Gerardia -- Misapplied (Gerardia is a genus in the family Acanthaceae)
Hemianthus Nutt.
Ilysanthes
Lendneria Minod
Leptandra -- Black root, Culver's root, Leptandra)
Leucospora Nutt.
Macranthera Nutt.
Mimetanthe Greene
Phygelius E.Mey. ex Benth. -- Cape fuchsia
Rehmannia Libosch.
Schwalbea L. -- Schwalbea
Scrophularia L. -- Figwort
Seymeria Pursh -- Black senna
Striga Lour. -- Witchweed
Tomanthera
Torenia L.
Verbascum L. -- Mullein

[edit] References

Olmstead, R. G., dePamphilis, C. W., Wolfe, A. D., Young, N. D., Elisons, W. J. & Reeves P. A. (2001). "Disintegration of the Scrophulariaceae". American Journal of Botany 88: 348-361. - on line here.
Olmstead, R. G. (2003). "Whatever happened to the Scrophulariaceae?". Fremontia 30: 13-22. - on line here.
Oxelman, B.; Kornhall, P.; Olmstead, R.G.; Bremer, B. (2005). "Further disintegration of the Scrophulariaceae". Taxon 54: 411-425.