''Centaurium'' (centaury) is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of 20
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
in the
gentian
''Gentiana'' () is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the gentian family ( Gentianaceae), the tribe Gentianeae, and the monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With over 300 species, it is considered a large genus. Gentians are notable for thei ...
family (
Gentianaceae
Gentianaceae is a family of flowering plants of 105 genera and about 1600 species.
Etymology
The family takes its name from the genus ''Gentiana'', named after the Illyrian king Gentius.
Distribution
Distribution is cosmopolitan (species), cosm ...
), tribe
Chironieae, subtribe
Chironiinae. The genus was named after the
centaur
A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version o ...
Chiron
In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs".
Biography
Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology for ...
, famed in
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
for his skill in
medicinal herbs
Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ...
. It is distributed across Europe and Asia.
Until 2004, ''Centaurium'' was given a much wider circumscription, comprising about 50 species ranging across Europe, Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and the Pacific. However this circumscription was
polyphyletic
A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...
, so in 2004 the genus was split into four, being ''Centaurium''
sensu stricto
''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...
, ''
Zeltnera
''Zeltnera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Gentianaceae, gentian family. It was erected in 2004 when the genus ''Centaurium'' (the centauries) was split. Genetic analysis revealed that ''Centaurium'' was Polyphyly, polyphyletic, made up o ...
'', ''
Gyrandra'' , and ''
Schenkia''.
Species
According to
Plants of the World Online
Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
History
Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...
there are 24 species of ''Centaurium''.
See also
* ''
Zeltnera calycosa
''Zeltnera calycosa'' is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common name Arizona centaury. It is native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, where it grows in moist places in otherwise dry habitat, s ...
'' - formerly ''C. calycosum''
* ''
Zeltnera davyi
''Zeltnera davyi'' is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common name Davy's centaury.
Distribution
The plant is nearly endemic to California, where it is known from the coastline around the San Francisco Bay Area a ...
'' - formerly ''C. davyi''
* ''
Zeltnera exaltata
''Zeltnera exaltata'' is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common names desert centaury and tall centaury. It is native to much of western North America from British Columbia to Arizona to Nebraska, where it grows i ...
'' - formerly ''C. exaltatum''
* ''
Zeltnera muehlenbergii'' - formerly ''C. muehlenbergii''
* ''
Zeltnera namatophila'' - formerly ''C. namophila''
* ''
Zeltnera venusta
''Zeltnera venusta'' is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common names California centaury, charming centaury and canchalagua. This centaury is native to much of California, southern Oregon, and northwest Baja Cali ...
'' - formerly ''C. venustum''
References
External links
Gentian Research Network
{{Authority control
Gentianaceae genera
Flora of Europe