The genus ''Scrophularia'' of the family Scrophulariaceae comprises about 200 species of herbaceous flowering plants commonly known as figworts. Species of ''Scrophularia'' all share square Plant stem, stems, opposite leaves and open two-lipped flowers forming clusters at the end of their stems. The genus is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. ''Scrophularia'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including ''Phymatopus, Phymatopus hectoides''. Some species in this genus are known to contain potentially useful substances, such as iridoids, and several ''Scrophularia'' species, such as the Ningpo figwort (''S. ningpoensis''), have been used by herbal medicine practitioners around the world. The name ''Scrophularia'' comes from scrofula, a form of tuberculosis, because several species have been used in herbal medicine for this disease.

Selected species

References

{{Authority control Scrophularia, Scrophulariaceae genera