''Tordylium'' 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 ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the carrot family (

Apiaceae Apiaceae () or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium,'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot, or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering p ...

). Members of the genus are known as hartworts.

Description

''Tordylium'' species are annuals or

biennials A biennial plant is a flowering plant that, generally in a temperate climate, takes two years to complete its biological life cycle. Background In its first year, the biennial plant undergoes primary growth, during which its vegetative structures ...

, covered in long hairs. Their stems may be hollow or almost solid. The basal leaves are more-or-less undivided, and have usually disappeared when the plant flowers. The stem leaves are once

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and ...

. The flowers have persistent

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s and white

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s, with those on one side much longer than the other. The fruits are about as long as they are wide. Their side ridges have whitish wings.

Taxonomy

Species assigned to the genus were first described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

in 1753 in ''

Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genus, genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial nomenclature ...

''.

Species

''Ainsworthia'' and ''Synelcosciadium'' were included in ''Tordylium'' by El-Aisawi & Jury in 1998. ,

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 ...

accepted 20 species: *'' Tordylium aegaeum'' Runemark *'' Tordylium aegyptiacum'' (L.) Poir. *''

Tordylium apulum ''Tordylium apulum'', commonly known as the Mediterranean hartwort, is an annual forb or herb. It is classified within the family Apiaceae, the carrot family. It is native to Europe and Western Asia, but has been introduced to the United States, ...

'' L. – Mediterranean hartwort *'' Tordylium brachytaenium'' Boiss. & Heldr. *'' Tordylium cappadocicum'' Boiss. *'' Tordylium carmeli'' (Labill.) Al-Eisawi *'' Tordylium cordatum'' (Jacq.) Poir. *'' Tordylium ebracteatum'' Al-Eisawi & Jury *'' Tordylium elegans'' (Boiss. & Balansa) Alava & Hub.-Mor. *'' Tordylium hasselquistiae'' DC. *'' Tordylium hirtocarpum'' Candargy *'' Tordylium ketenoglui'' H.Duman & A.Duran *'' Tordylium lanatum'' (Boiss.) Boiss. *''

Tordylium macropetalum ''Tordylium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the carrot family (Apiaceae). Members of the genus are known as hartworts. Description ''Tordylium'' species are Annual plant, annuals or Biennial plant, biennials, covered in long hairs. Their ste ...

'' Boiss. *'' Tordylium maximum'' L. – hartwort *'' Tordylium officinale'' L. *'' Tordylium pestalozzae'' Boiss. *'' Tordylium pustulosum'' Boiss. *'' Tordylium syriacum'' L. *'' Tordylium trachycarpum'' (Boiss.) Al-Eisawi

Uses

''Tordylium apulum'', the Mediterranean hartwort or Roman pimpernel, is used as a vegetable in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and as a flavouring in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. ''Tordylium officinale'', the Officinal or

Cretan Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

hartwort (also a Mediterranean species), bears fruit formerly used as an

emmenagogue Emmenagogues (also spelled ''emmenagogs'') are herbs which stimulate blood flow in the pelvic area and uterus; some stimulate menstruation. Women may use emmenagogues to stimulate menstrual flow when menstruation is absent for reasons other than pr ...

, and the plant (plant part unspecified) has formed one of the ingredients of

Theriac Theriac or theriaca is a medical concoction originally labelled by the Greeks in the 1st century AD and widely adopted in the ancient world as far away as Persia, China and India via the trading links of the Silk Route. It was an alexipharmic, ...

, a preparation believed to be an

antidote An antidote is a substance that can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek term φάρμακον ἀντίδοτον ''(pharmakon antidoton)'', "(medicine) given as a remedy". An older term in English which is ...

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

and other

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

s. Courchet further states of the genus Tordylium in general that the various species bear fruits that - like those of many other Umbellifers - are aromatic and

carminative A carminative, known in Latin as carminativum (plural carminativa), is a herb or preparation intended to combat flatulence either by preventing formation of gas in the gastrointestinal tract or Name The word ''carminative'' is a derivative of Lat ...

, but that those of Tordylium are seldom used.

Etymology

The genus name derives from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

''tordylion'', a variant form of ''tordylon'' "hartwort, Tordylium officinale"., .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10383352 Taxa named by Joseph Pitton de Tournefort Apioideae Apioideae genera