Swallowwort

Swallowwort or swallow-wort is a

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

for several plants and plant families. The term may be a description of poisonous effects, or indicate that a plant was formerly used medicinally for

tonsillitis Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils in the upper part of the throat. It can be acute or chronic. Acute tonsillitis typically has a rapid onset. Symptoms may include sore throat, fever, enlargement of the tonsils, trouble swallowing, and en ...

. It may refer to: * Any of several vines of the genus ''

Vincetoxicum ''Vincetoxicum'' is a genus of plants in the family Apocynaceae. Although the species in ''Vincetoxicum'' have sometimes been included in '' Cynanchum'', chemical and molecular evidence shows that ''Vincetoxicum'' is more closely related to ''Tyl ...

'', especially white swallowwort (''

Vincetoxicum hirundinaria ''Vincetoxicum hirundinaria'', commonly named white swallow-wort, is a long-lived herbaceous perennial of the genus '' Vincetoxicum'' in the family Apocynaceae. Etymology The generic name ''Vincetoxicum'', in Latin meaning ‘conqueror of poiso ...

''), black swallowwort (''

Vincetoxicum nigrum ''Vincetoxicum nigrum'', a species in the family Apocynaceae, also known as black swallow-wort, Louise's swallow-wort, or black dog-strangling vine, is a species of plant that is native to Europe and is found primarily in Italy, France, Portugal, ...

''), and pale swallowwort ('' Vincetoxicum rossicum'') * Any of several vines of the genus ''

Cynanchum ''Cynanchum'' is a genus of about 300 species including some swallowworts, belonging to the family Apocynaceae. The taxon name comes from Greek ''kynos'' (meaning "dog") and ''anchein'' ("to choke"), hence the common name for several species is ...

''. ''Cynanchum'' is from Greek words meaning "to choke a dog." *

Greater celandine ''Chelidonium majus'', the greater celandine, is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae. One of two species in the genus ''Chelidonium'', it is native to Europe and western Asia and introduced widely in North Ame ...

(''Chelidonium majus''). * Greater celandine and swallowwort were each often categorized with tetterworts because they were used to treat

tetter Tetter refers to any skin condition characterized by reddish vesicular eruptions and intense itching. Common diseases called tetter include: *Eczema and Duhring's disease *Herpes *Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) * jock itch *Ringworm *Psoriasis ...

. This led to nomenclature confusion among these worts. * many plants of the genus ''

Asclepias ''Asclepias'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most species are toxic to huma ...

'' * ''

Euphorbia maculata ''Euphorbia maculata'', known as spotted spurge, prostrate spurge (not to be confused with '' Euphorbia prostrata''), milk purslane, or spotted sandmat, is a fast-growing annual plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is native to North America, w ...

'' * '' Seutera angustifolia'', a plant of the genus '' Seutera'' {{Plant common name