Parthenium
Genus of plants
Parthenium is a genus of North American annuals, biennials, perennials, subshrubs, and shrubs in the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae and subfamily Asteroideae.
The name Parthenium is an evolution of the Ancient Greek name παρθένιον (parthenion), which referred to Tanacetum parthenium. The name is possibly derived from the Greek word παρθένος (parthenos) which means "virgin".
Members of the genus are commonly known as feverfew. Notable species include guayule (P. argentatum) which has been used as a rubber substitute, especially during the Second World War; and also P. hysterophorus, a serious invasive species in the Old World.
01Species
These include:
- Parthenium alpinum (Nutt.) Torr. & A.Gray , Arkansas River feverfew - NM CO WY
- Parthenium argentatum A.Gray , Guayule - TX, Coahuila, Guanajuato, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas
- Parthenium cineraceum Rollins - Bolivia, Paraguay
- Parthenium confertum A.Gray , Gray's feverfew - AZ NM TX Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Tamaulipas
- Parthenium fruticosum Less. - from Tamaulipas to Chiapas
- Parthenium hysterophorus L. , Santa Maria feverfew, whitetop weed - widespread in North + South America; as an invasive species in India, Australia, and Africa
- Parthenium incanum Kunth , mariola - NV UT AZ NM TX Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Hidalgo, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas
- Parthenium integrifolium L. , American feverfew, wild quinine - from TX to MA + MN
- Parthenium ligulatum (M.E. Jones) Barneby , Colorado feverfew - CO UT
- Parthenium rollinsianum Rzed. - San Luis Potosí
- Parthenium schottii Greenm. ex Millsp. & Chase - Yucatán
- Parthenium tomentosum DC. - Oaxaca, Puebla
02Importance
In North America, the Jicarilla Apache people used Parthenium incanum for medicine (Opler 1946: 8). The sap of guayule (P. argentatum) is a source of natural rubber. Parthenium hysterophorus is a common invasive species in India, Australia, and parts of Africa. Its pollen can cause allergies and the sap is toxic.
03Further information
- Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International Invasive Species Compendium (2019-02-26). Parthenium in Malaysia. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13.
- Media related to Parthenium at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Parthenium at Wikispecies
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Parthenium”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Starr 050423-6650 Parthenium hysterophorus.jpg by Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0
- Parthenium infestation in Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary.JPG by Pankaj Oudhia, CC BY-SA 3.0
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