''Cymbalaria'' is a genus of about 10 species of

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s previously placed in the family

Scrophulariaceae The Scrophulariaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the figwort family. The plants are annual and perennial herbs, as well as shrubs. Flowers have bilateral (zygomorphic) or rarely radial (actinomorphic) symmetry. The Scr ...

, but recently shown by genetic research to be in the much enlarged family

Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae, the plantain family, is a large, diverse family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includes common flowers such as snapdragon and foxglove. It is unrelated to the banana-like fruit also called "plantain." In older cl ...

. The genus is native to southern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. It is closely related to the genera ''

Linaria ''Linaria'' is a genus of almost 200 species of flowering plants, one of several related groups commonly called toadflax. They are annuals and herbaceous perennials, and the largest genus in the Antirrhineae tribe of the plantain family Planta ...

'' and ''

Antirrhinum ''Antirrhinum'' is a genus of plants commonly known as dragon flowers, snapdragons and dog flower because of the flowers' fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed. They are native to r ...

'', differing in having creeping growth and

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s borne singly rather than in dense erect spikes. The common name

toadflax Toadflax is the common name of several related genera of plants in the family Plantaginaceae, including: * ''Anarrhinum'' * ''Antirrhinum'', also called Snapdragon * ''Chaenorhinum'', native to Turkey and the Mediterranean * ''Cymbalaria'' * ''Lina ...

is shared with ''

'' and other related genera. The scientific name means "resembling a

cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...

" for the somewhat rounded leaves. By far the best known species is ''

Cymbalaria muralis ''Cymbalaria muralis'', commonly called ivy-leaved toadflax or Kenilworth ivy, is a low, spreading, viney plant with small purple flowers, native to southern Europe. It belongs to the plantain family (Plantaginaceae), and is introduced in North A ...

'' (also called ivy-leaved toadflax, and Kenilworth ivy), native to southwest Europe. It has widely naturalised elsewhere and is commonly sold as a garden plant. ''C. muralis'' characteristically grows in sheltered crevices in walls and pathways, or in rocks and scree, making a trailing or scrambling plant up to 1 m long.

Species list

Accepted species are: *'' Cymbalaria aequitriloba'' (Viv.) A.Chev. *'' Cymbalaria bakhtiarica'' Podlech & Iranshahr *'' Cymbalaria glutinosa'' Bigazzi & Raffaelli *'' Cymbalaria hepaticifolia'' (Poir.) Wettst. *'' Cymbalaria longipes'' (Boiss. & Heldr.) A.Chev. *'' Cymbalaria microcalyx'' (Boiss.) Wettst. *'' Cymbalaria muelleri'' (Moris) A.Chev. *''

'' G.Gaertn., B.Mey. & Schreb. *''

Cymbalaria pallida ''Cymbalaria pallida'' is a purple-flowered plant native only to mountainous parts of Italy. It belongs to the plantain family ( Plantaginaceae). Description ''Cymbalaria pallida'' is a perennial plant, high, with a short, pubescent and prostra ...

'' (Ten.) Wettst. *'' Cymbalaria pluttula'' (Rech.f.) Speta *'' Cymbalaria pubescens'' (J.Presl & C.Presl) Cufod.

Taxonomy

Described as ''Cymbalaria'' by the English botanist,

John Hill John Hill may refer to: Business * John Henry Hill (1791–1882), American businessman, educator and missionary * John Hill (planter) (1824–1910), Scottish-born American industrialist and planter * John Hill (businessman) (1847–1926), Austral ...

in 1756.

Gallery

File:Cymbalaria hepaticifolia (14056415509).jpg, '' Cymbalaria hepaticifolia'' File:Cymbalaria pallida 01.jpg, ''

'' File:Cymbalaria aequitriloba.JPG, '' Cymbalaria aequitriloba'' File:Rozier - Cours d’agriculture, tome 3, pl. 18 cymbalaire.png, ''Cymbalaria'' File:Cymbalaria sp - Flickr - S. Rae.jpg, ''Cymbalaria'' sp.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q157937 Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae genera Flora of Europe