Vernonia

Vernonia is a genus of about 1000 species of forbs and shrubs in the family Asteraceae. Some species are known as ironweed. Some species are edible and of economic value. They are known for having intense purple flowers. The genus is named for the English botanist William Vernon. There are numerous distinct subgenera and subsections in this genus. This has led some botanists to divide this large genus into several distinct genera.[2] For instance, the Flora of North America recognizes only about twenty species in Vernonia sensu stricto, seventeen of which are in North America north of Mexico, with the others being found in South America.[3]

For the town, see Vernonia, Oregon.

Vernonia
Vernonia baldwinii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Cichorioideae
Tribe: Vernonieae
Genus: Vernonia
Schreb.
Synonyms[1]
  • Dolosanthus Klatt
  • Eremosis (DC.) Gleason
  • Baccharodes L. ex Kuntze
  • Bracheilema R.Br. ex R.Br.
  • Lessingianthus subg. Oligocephalus H.Rob.
  • Triplotaxis Hutch.
  • Leiboldia Schltdl. ex Gleason
  • Leiboldia Schltdl.
  • Behen Hill
  • Punduana Steetz
  • Cheliusia Sch.Bip. ex Sch.Bip.
  • Aostea Buscal. & Muschl.
  • Claotrachelus Zoll. & Moritz ex Zoll.
  • Cyanopis Blume

Uses
Bee (Ceratina sp.) on Vernonia cinerea at Ananthagiri Hills, in Ranga Reddy district of Andhra Pradesh, India

Several species of Vernonia, including V. calvoana, V. amygdalina, and V. colorata, are eaten as leaf vegetables. Common names for these species include bitterleaf, onugbu in the Igbo language, ewuro and ndole. They are common in most West African and Central African countries. They are one of the most widely consumed leaf vegetables of Nigeria, where the onugbu soup is a local delicacy of the Igbo people, and of Cameroon, where they are a key ingredient of Ndolé: the national dish of Cameroon.[4]. The leaves have a sweet and bitter taste. They are sold fresh or dried and are a typical ingredient in egusi soup.

Vernonia galamensis is used as an oilseed in East Africa. It is grown in many parts of Ethiopia, especially around the city of Harar, with an average seed yield of 2 to 2.5 t/ha. It is reported that the Ethiopian strains of Vernonia have the highest oil content, up to 41.9% with up to 80% vernolic acid, and is used in paint formulations, coatings plasticizers, and as a reagent for many industrial chemicals.[5]

Vernonia calvoana or bitterleaf, is a common garden plant in many West African and Central African countries. Vernonia calvoana

Vernonia amygdalina is used in traditional herbal medicine. These leaves are exported from several African countries and can be purchased in grocery stores aiming to serve African clients. In Brazil, V. condensata is commonly known as "figatil" or "necroton" and used in local traditional medicine.[6]

Vernonia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora vernoniaeella (which feeds exclusively on the genus) and Schinia regia (which feeds exclusively on V. texana).

Species
Psyche (Leptosia nina) on an ash fleabane or little ironweed (Vernonia cinerea) in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Ironweed, Vernonia altissima
Vernonia capensis

Species of this genus are found in South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and North America. Vernonia species are well known for hybridizing between similar species in areas of overlapping ranges. There are approximately 1000 species of Vernonia. A list of some species is given below.

North America

South America

Africa

Asia
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See also
  • Vernonia oil

References
  1. Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist
  2. Harold Robinson (1999). "Generic and Subtribal Classification of American Vernonieae" (PDF). Smithsonian Contributions to Botany. 89. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  3. Flora of North America: Vernonia
  4. Veronia calvoana, Plant Encyclopedia
  5. "Alamata Pilot Learning Site Diagnosis and Program Design" Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine IPMS Information Resources Portal - Ethiopia (23 June 2005), p. 12 (accessed 3 March 2009)
  6. Jucélia Barbosa da Silva; Vanessa dos Santos Temponi; Carolina Miranda Gasparetto; et al. (2013). "Vernonia condensata Baker (Asteraceae): A Promising Source of Antioxidants". Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. Article ID 698018: 1–9. doi:10.1155/2013/698018. PMC 3893806. PMID 24489987.
  7. Flora of North America: Vernonia gigantea
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