''Scorzoneroides'' or hawkbits is a genus of plants of the tribe

Cichorieae The Cichorieae (also called Lactuceae) are a tribe in the plant family Asteraceae that includes 93 genera, more than 1,600 sexually reproductive species and more than 7,000 apomictic species. They are found primarily in temperate regions of the E ...

within the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae ...

. ''Scorzoneroides'' used to be included in the genus ''

Leontodon ''Leontodon'' is a genus of plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae, commonly known as hawkbits. Their English name derives from the mediaeval belief that hawks ate the plant to improve their eyesight. Although originally onl ...

''. Recent molecular studies revealed that ''

'' in the older, broader sense is an unnatural adhesion of two separate groupings. Therefore, the former subgenus ''Oporinia'' of the genus ''

'' had to be resurrected as a separate genus.

Secondary metabolites

In some members of the genus ''Scorzoneroides'',

germacranolides Germacranolides are a group of natural chemical compounds classified as sesquiterpene lactone Sesquiterpene lactones (SLs) are a class of sesquiterpenoids that contain a lactone ring. They are most often found in plants of the family Asteraceae ( ...

and costus

lactone Lactones are cyclic carboxylic esters, containing a 1-oxacycloalkan-2-one structure (), or analogues having unsaturation or heteroatoms replacing one or more carbon atoms of the ring. Lactones are formed by intramolecular esterification of the co ...

-type

guaianolides In organic chemistry, a guaianolide is a type of sesquiterpene lactone consisting of a gamma- lactone and either a cyclopentane or cyclopentene, both fused to a central cycloheptane or cycloheptene structure. There are two subclasses, structura ...

were detected. The genus is a rich source of hieracin-type and lactucin-type guaianolides. Phenolics found in flowering heads of ''Scorzoneroides'' taxa include

luteolin Luteolin is a flavone, a type of flavonoid, with a yellow crystalline appearance. Luteolin is the principal yellow dye compound that is obtained from the plant ''Reseda luteola'', which has been used as a source of the dye since at least the firs ...

type

flavonoids Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans. Chemically, flavonoids ...

and

caffeoyl Caffeic acid is an organic compound that is classified as a hydroxycinnamic acid. This yellow solid consists of both phenolic and acrylic functional groups. It is found in all plants because it is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of lignin, on ...

quinic acid Quinic acid is a cyclitol, a cyclic polyol, and a cyclohexanecarboxylic acid. It is a colorless solid that can be extracted from plant sources. Quinic acid is implicated in the perceived acidity of coffee. Occurrence and preparation The compound i ...

derivatives such as

chlorogenic acid Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is the ester of caffeic acid and (−)-quinic acid, functioning as an intermediate in lignin biosynthesis. The term "chlorogenic acids" refers to a related polyphenol family of esters, including hydroxycinnamic acids (caffei ...

and 3,5-

dicaffeoylquinic acid Cynarine is a hydroxycinnamic acid derivative (chemistry), derivative and a biologically active chemical constituent of artichoke (''Cynara cardunculus''). Chemically, it is an ester formed from quinic acid and two units of caffeic acid. See a ...

. Moreover, ''Scorzoneroides'' are source species of

caffeoyl tartaric acid Caftaric acid is a non-flavonoid phenolic compound. It is found in the juice of grapes (''Vitis vinifera'') and impacts the color of white wine. It is an esterified phenolic acid, composed of caffeic acid, a hydroxycinnamate produced by plan ...

derivatives caffeoyl tartaric acid and cichoric acid.

Species

; accepted speciesFlann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist
/ref>Altervista Flora Italiana, genere ''Scorzoneroides''
/ref>

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1822396 Cichorieae Asteraceae genera