Scorzonera

Scorzonera is a genus of flowering plants in the dandelion tribe within the daisy family. They are distributed in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Its center of diversity is in the Mediterranean. Well-known species include the edible black salsify (Scorzonera hispanica). Scorzonera tau-saghyz is a source of natural rubber. Scorzonera is recorded as a food plant for the larva of the Nutmeg, a species of moth. The genus contains the following species. One possible origin of the genus name is the French scorzonère ('viper’s grass'). Some Scorzonera species contain lactones, including the sesquiterpene lactones known as guaianolides. Flavonoids found in Scorzonera include apigenin, kaempferol, luteolin, and quercetin. Other secondary metabolites reported from the genus include caffeoylquinic acids, coumarins, lignans, stilbenoids, and triterpenoids. One unique class of stilbenoid derivative was first isolated from Scorzonera humilis. They were named the tyrolobibenzyls after Tyrol in the eastern Alps, where the plant was collected.