Cicerbita
| Cicerbita | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cicerbita alpina | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Tribe: | Cichorieae |
| Subtribe: | Lactucinae |
| Genus: | Cicerbita Wallr. |
| Species | |
|
see text | |
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Cicerbita is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae, native to Asia and Europe. They are known commonly as blue sow thistles.[1] The word Cicerbita is from the Italian, meaning "chickory-like", a comparison to Cichorium, the chicory genus.[2]
Description
Cicerbita are usually perennial plants, often with rhizomes.[3] Annual species are also known.[4] The leaves are undivided or pinnate. The flower head has 5 to 30 florets in shades of blue or purple, or occasionally white[3] or yellow.[4] The achene is ribbed and has a pappus of bristles and hairs.[3]
Systematics
The plants of this genus were included in genus Lactuca, the lettuces, until 1822,[5] when the first of them were separated based on the morphology of the fruits.[4] The definition of the genus is still in debate and very unclear. There are perhaps 20[3] to 35 species.[4] Not all are accepted by all authors.[4]
- Cicerbita alii[4]
- Cicerbita alpina - alpine blue sow thistle, mountain sow thistle, tall blue lettuce
- Cicerbita astorensis[4]
- Cicerbita auriculiformis
- Cicerbita azurea[5]
- Cicerbita benthamii[4]
- Cicerbita bourgaei - pontic blue sow thistle
- Cicerbita chitralensis[4]
- Cicerbita cyanea
- Cicerbita decipiens[4]
- Cicerbita gilgitensis[4]
- Cicerbita ladyginii
- Cicerbita lessertiana[4]
- Cicerbita macrantha
- Cicerbita macrophylla - common blue sow thistle
- Cicerbita macrorhiza[4]
- Cicerbita muralis (syn. Lactuca muralis, Mycelis muralis)[7][8]
- Cicerbita neglecta
- Cicerbita oligolepis[5]
- Cicerbita picridiformis[4]
- Cicerbita plumieri - hairless blue sow thistle
- Cicerbita polyclada[4]
- Cicerbita prenanthoides
- Cicerbita rapunculoides[4]
- Cicerbita roborowskii
- Cicerbita sikkimensis[5]
- Cicerbita sonchifolia
- Cicerbita thianschanica
- Cicerbita zhenduoi
Uses
Cicerbita alpina is eaten as a vegetable in Italy, part of its native range. The young shoots are boiled and served in olive oil or tomato sauce. They are considered a delicacy and can be had in restaurants.[9] The shoots in oil can be purchased in markets under the local name insalata dell'orso ("bear salad").[2] The plant is collected from the wild and there is some concern that it may be threatened with overexploitation, so local ordinances now limit wild collection in some areas. Field trials are underway to examine the possibility of cultivating the plant in agriculture.[9]
References
- ↑ Genus Cicerbita Wallr. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Scartezzini, F., et al. (2012). Domestication of alpine blue-sow-thistle (Cicerbita alpina (L.) Wallr.): six year trial results. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 59(3) 465-71.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Cicerbita. Flora of China.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 Bano, R. and M. Qaiser. (2010). The genus Cicerbita Wallr. (Cichoriae-Asteraceae) in Pakistan and Kashmir. Pakistan Journal of Botany 42, 35-56.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Chu, S. (1991). On circumscription of the genus Cicerbita Wall., and two new genera of Compositae from Sino-Himalayan Region. Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica 29(5) 394-417.
- ↑ GRIN Species Records of Cicerbita. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
- ↑ Cicerbita muralis (L.) Wallr. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
- ↑ Kilian, Gemeinholzer and Lack. (2009). Systematics, Evolution, and Biogeography of Compositae, (Funk, et al. eds.) Appendix 24.1. "Subtribal classification of Chichoreae", p. 380.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Scartezzini, F., et al. Domestication and field management trials of Cicerbita alpina (L.) Wallr. In: First International Conference on Crop Wild Relative Conservation and Use. September 14-17, 2005. Agrigento, Sicily, Italy. pg. 14-17.