Vernonia is a genus of about 1000
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of
forbForbs are herbaceous flowering plants that are not graminoids . The term is frequently used in vegetation ecology, especially in relation to grasslands...
s and
shrubA shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s in the family
AsteraceaeThe family Asteraceae or Compositae is the second largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species....
. Some species are known as
Ironweed. Some species are edible and of economic value. They are known for having intense
purplePurple is a general term used in English for the range of shades of color occurring between red and blue. In additive light combinations it occurs by mixing the primary colors red and blue in varying proportions...
flowers. The genus is named for English botanist William Vernon. There are numerous distinct subgenera and subsections in this
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
. This has led some botanists to divide this large genus into smaller groups which separate the species into distinct genera.
Vernonia is a genus of about 1000
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of
forbForbs are herbaceous flowering plants that are not graminoids . The term is frequently used in vegetation ecology, especially in relation to grasslands...
s and
shrubA shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s in the family
AsteraceaeThe family Asteraceae or Compositae is the second largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species....
. Some species are known as
Ironweed. Some species are edible and of economic value. They are known for having intense
purplePurple is a general term used in English for the range of shades of color occurring between red and blue. In additive light combinations it occurs by mixing the primary colors red and blue in varying proportions...
flowers. The genus is named for English botanist William Vernon. There are numerous distinct subgenera and subsections in this
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
. This has led some botanists to divide this large genus into smaller groups which separate the species into distinct genera. For instance, the
FloraIn botany, flora has two meanings. The first meaning, flora of an area or of time period, refers to all plant life occurring in an area or time period, especially the naturally occurring or indigenous plant life...
of
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
only recognizes about 20 species, 17 of which are in North America or n. Mexico, with the other two or three being found in
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
.
Uses
Several species of
Vernonia, including
V. calvoana,
V. amygdalina, and
V. colorata, are eaten as
leaf vegetableLeaf vegetables, also called potherbs, green vegetables, greens, or leafy greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots...
s. Common names for these species include
bitterleaf,
ewuro,
ndole and
onugbu. They are common in most
West AfricaWest Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:*Benin...
n and
Central AfricaCentral Africa is a core region of the African continent often considered to include Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
n countries. They are one of the most widely consumed leaf vegetables of
CameroonThe Republic of Cameroon is a unitary republic of central and western Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the Bight of...
, where they are a key ingredient of ndole stew. The leaves have a sweet and bitter taste. They are sold fresh or
driedDrying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which prevents the growth of microorganisms and decay. Drying food using the sun and wind to prevent spoilage has been known since ancient times...
, and are a typical ingredient in egusi soup.
V. amygdalina is well known as a medicinal plant with several uses attributed to it, including for diabetes, fever reduction, and recently a non-pharmaceutical solution to persistent fever, headache, and joint pain associated with
AIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus ....
(an infusion of the plant is taken as needed). These leaves are exported from several African countries and can be purchased inexpensively in grocery stores aiming to serve African clients for about $1.50/225gm pkg. frozen. The roots of
V. amygdalina have been used for gingivitis and toothache due to its proven antimicrobial activity.
In North America, of the 17 species of Vernonia (eg.,
V. altissima,
V. fasciculata,
V. flaccidifolia) all have the same effective properties as a
bloodBlood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells — such as nutrients and oxygen — and transports waste products away from those same cells....
purifier and
uterusThe word uterine can refer to different meanings:* relating to or near the uterus or womb* having the same mother, but different fathers, see matrilineality...
toner, containing
sesquiterpene lactoneSesquiterpene lactones are a class of chemical found in many plants that can cause allergic reactions and toxicity if overdosed, particularly in grazing livestock...
, which helps also to prevent
atherosclerosisAtherosclerosis is the condition in which an artery wall thickens as the result of a build-up of fatty materials such as cholesterol...
.
V. galamensisVernonia galamensis is a plant in the sunflower family, known for its use as an oilseed. This species, often called ironweed, is the largest source of vernonia oil, which is rich in a useful epoxy fatty acid called vernolic acid and is used to make plastics, rubbery coatings, and drying agents...
is used as an oilseed in
East AfricaEast Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. It is grown in many parts of Ethiopia, especially around the city of
HararHarar is an eastern city in Ethiopia, and the capital of the modern Harari ethno-political division of Ethiopia...
, with an average seed yield of 2 to 2.5 t/ha. It is reported that the Ethiopian strains of
Vernonia have the highest oil content, up to 41.9% with up to 80% vernolic acid, and is used in paint formulations, coatings plasticizers, and as a reagent for many industrial chemicals.
Vernonia species are used as food plants by the
larvaA larva is a young form of animal with indirect development, going through or undergoing metamorphosis ....
e of some
LepidopteraLepidoptera is an order of insects that includes moths and butterflies. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including
Coleophora vernoniaeellaColeophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae with around 1000 described species. The genus is represented on all continents but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
(which feeds exclusively on the genus) and
Schinia regiaSchinia, commonly called Flower Moths, is a large genus of moths belonging to the family Noctuidae. The genus has a Holarctic distribution with the vast majority of species being found in North America, many with a very restricted range and larval food plant.-Species Information and Food Plants:...
(which feeds exclusively on
V. texana).
Species
Species of this genus are found in
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
,
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
, s.e.
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
, and
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
.
Vernonia species are well known for hybridizing between similar species in areas of overlapping ranges. There are approximately 1000 species of
Vernonia, a partial species list is given below. Click here for a full species list.
North America
- Vernonia acaulis
- Vernonia arkansana
- Vernonia angustifolia
- Vernonia baldwinii
- Vernonia blodgettii
- Vernonia fasciculata
- Vernonia flaccidifolia
- Vernonia gigantea or Vernonia altissima
- Vernonia glauca
- Vernonia larseniae
- Vernonia lettermannii
- Vernonia lindheimeri
- Vernonia marginata
- Vernonia missurica
- Vernonia noveboracensis
Vernonia noveboracensis is a plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is native to the eastern United States, from Florida to Massachusetts and west to Tennessee, Alabama, and West Virginia....
- Vernonia pulchella
- Vernonia texana
Africa
- Vernonia amygdalina
Vernonia amygdalina, a member of the Asteraceae family, is a small shrub that grows in the tropical Africa. V. amygdalina is commonly called bitter leaf because of its bitter taste. The leaves may be consumed either as a vegetable or aqueous extracts as tonics for the treatment of various illnesses...
- Vernonia bamendae
Vernonia bamendae is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.It is found in Cameroon and Nigeria.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.-References:...
- Vernonia calvoana
- Vernonia colorata
- Vernonia galamensis
Vernonia galamensis is a plant in the sunflower family, known for its use as an oilseed. This species, often called ironweed, is the largest source of vernonia oil, which is rich in a useful epoxy fatty acid called vernolic acid and is used to make plastics, rubbery coatings, and drying agents...
- Vernonia staehelinoides
Asia
- Vernonia cinerea
- Vernonia cockburniana
Vernonia cockburniana is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.It is found only in Yemen.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.-References:...
- Vernonia unicata
Vernonia unicata is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.It is found only in Yemen.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-Source:* Miller. A. 2004. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
- Vernonia zollingerianoides
Vernonia zollingerianoides is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.It is found only in Indonesia.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....