Prenanthes is a genus of plant in the family Asteraceae, often referred to as rattlesnake root.[2][3]

Rattlesnake root
Purple lettuce
Prenanthes purpurea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
(unranked):
(unranked):
(unranked):
Order:
Family:
Tribe:
Genus:
Prenanthes

Species:
P. purpurea
Binomial name
Prenanthes purpurea
L.
Synonyms[1]
  • Prenanthes tenuifolia L.
  • Chondrilla purpurea (L.) Lam.
  • Prenanthes wolfiana Schur
  • Prenanthes purpurea subsp. tenuifolia (L.) Arcang.
  • Chondrilla tenuifolia (L.) Lam.
  • Prenanthes transsilvanica Schur
  • Prenanthes schlosseri Heuff.

Molecular analysis in 2009 revealed that the genus as traditionally envisioned is polyphyletic, meaning that it is a conglomeration of species not closely related to one another. All but one species will be moved to other genera, leaving only Prenanthes purpurea.[4] The species, sometimes called purple lettuce,[5] is widespread across much of Europe and the Middle East.[6]

The genus formerly included species now placed in[1] Aetheorhiza, Askellia, Brickellia, Chondrilla, Crepidiastrum, Crepis, Emilia, Erythroseris, Faberia, Hololeion, Hypochaeris, Ixeris, Kovalevskiella, Lactuca, Lapsanastrum, Launaea, Lygodesmia, Nabalus, Notoseris, Paraprenanthes, Parasenecio, Picrosia, Sonchella, Sonchus, Soroseris, Stephanomeria, Trixis, and Youngia.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist Archived 2014-12-15 at archive.today
  2. ^ Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 797-798
  3. ^ Tropicos, Prenanthes L.
  4. ^ Posch, M., et al. (2011). A new trisaccharide derivative from Prenanthes purpurea. Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society 76(6), 841-45.
  5. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  6. ^ Altervista Flora Italiana, Lattuga montana purpurea, Purple Lettuce, Prenanthes purpurea L. includes photos, drawings, and distribution maps