''Cerinthe'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Boraginaceae Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the order ...

, known as honeyworts. The genus is characterised by a calyx made up of separate, rather than fused,

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 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s, a tubular corolla, and the schizocarpic fruit that divides into two parts at maturity, unlike most members of the family, where the fruit splits into four nutlets. The genus has a circum-Mediterranean distribution, ranging from the

Irano-Turanian Region The Irano-Turanian Region is a floristic region located within the Tethyan Subkingdom of the Holarctic Kingdom. It is divided into 12 floristic provinces according to the work of Armen Takhtajan, a Soviet-Armenian botanist who created a classifi ...

in the east to

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

in the west. ''Cerinthe'' has been known since ancient times. An early reference to it is in John Gerard's ''The Herbal'', published in 1597, describing its appearance, growth habits, time of blooming and mentions that "there is a taste as if it were of new wax in the floures icor leaves chewed, as the name doth seeme icto import." Gerard gives a list of other names for Cerinthe applied by prior writers, including

Avicenna Ibn Sina ( fa, ابن سینا; 980 – June 1037 CE), commonly known in the West as Avicenna (), was a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, philosophers, and writers of the Islamic G ...

"Auicen",

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

, Conrad Gessner, Rembert Dodoens, Carolus Clusius, and

Matthias de l'Obel Mathias de l'Obel, Mathias de Lobel or Matthaeus Lobelius (1538 – 3 March 1616) was a Flemish physician and plant enthusiast who was born in Lille, Flanders, in what is now Hauts-de-France, France, and died at Highgate, London, England. H ...

Etymology

The genus name is a compound of the Greek elements κερί / κηρός (= ''keri'' / ''kēros'' or ''keeros'') "(bees)wax" and άνθος (=''anthos'') "flower" - whence "wax flower" - from the belief that bees extracted wax from the blossoms to make their honeycombs.

Species

The following species are accepted by ''

The Plant List The Plant List was a list of botanical names of species of plants created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden and launched in 2010. It was intended to be a comprehensive record of all known names of plant species ...

'': *''

Cerinthe glabra ''Cerinthe'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae, known as honeyworts. The genus is characterised by a calyx made up of separate, rather than fused, sepals, a tubular corolla, and the schizocarpic fruit that divides into ...

'' Mill. *''

Cerinthe major ''Cerinthe major'', called honeywort along with other members of its genus, is an annual species of flowering plant in the genus ''Cerinthe ''Cerinthe'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae, known as honeyworts. The genus ...

'' L. Varieties include 'Purpurescens' with blue and purple flowers. *'' Cerinthe minor'' L. *'' Cerinthe palaestina'' Eig & Sam. *''

Cerinthe retorta ''Cerinthe'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae, known as honeyworts. The genus is characterised by a calyx made up of separate, rather than fused, sepals, a tubular corolla, and the schizocarpic fruit that divides into ...

'' Sm. *''

Cerinthe tenuiflora ''Cerinthe'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae, known as honeyworts. The genus is characterised by a calyx made up of separate, rather than fused, sepals, a tubular corolla, and the schizocarpic fruit that divides into ...

'' Bertol.

References

External links

* Boraginoideae Boraginaceae genera {{Asterid-stub