''Gnaphalium'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

, commonly called cudweeds. They are widespread and common in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

regions, although some are found on tropical mountains or in the subtropical regions of the world. Cudweeds are important foodplants for

American painted lady The American painted lady or American lady (''Vanessa virginiensis'')caterpillars. Additionally, they are widely used as an herbal treatment for rheumatic pain.

Species

Species in this genus include:Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist search for ''Gnaphalium''
/ref> Flora Antarctica Plate CXIII

Formerly included

Numerous species have at one time been included in ''Gnaphalium'', but are now considered to belong to other genera: ''

Achyrocline ''Achyrocline'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Asteraceae described as a genus in 1838. It is native to Latin America and Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. A ...

, Aliella,

Ammobium ''Ammobium'' is genus of perennial Asteraceae species described as a genus in 1824 by Robert Brown, with the type species being '' Ammobium alatum''. ''Ammobium'' is native to eastern Australia. ;Species *'' Ammobium alatum'' R.Br. - New Sou ...

, Anaphalioides,

Anaphalis ''Anaphalis'' is a genus of herbaceous and woody flowering plants within the family Asteraceae, whose members are commonly known by the name pearl or pearly everlasting. There are around 110 species with the vast majority being native to central ...

, Anaxeton, Antennaria,

Argyrotegium ''Argyrotegium'' is a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred t ...

, Belloa, Berroa,

Blumea ''Blumea'' is a genus of flowering plants of the family Asteraceae. Characteristics Genus ''Blumea'' is found in the tropical and sub-tropical zones of Asia, especially the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. A few species are found in Aust ...

, Castroviejoa, Chevreulia, Chionolaena, Chrysocephalum, Dolichothrix, Edmondia, Euchiton, Ewartia, Facelis,

Filago Filago ( Bergamasque: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about southwest of Bergamo. Filago borders the following municipalities: Bonate Sotto ...

, Galeomma, Gamochaeta,

Gnomophalium ''Gnomophalium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. ;Species There is only one known species, ''Gnomophalium pulvinatum'', native to Egypt, Sudan, Iran, the Indian Subcontinent, Afghanistan, and Tibet Tibet (; ' ...

Helichrysum The genus ''Helichrysum'' consists of an estimated 600 species of flowering plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). The type species is '' Helichrysum orientale''. They often go by the names everlasting, immortelle, and strawflower. The nam ...

, Ifloga, Laphangium, Lasiopogon, Leontonyx,

Leontopodium ''Leontopodium'' is a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae. The genus is native to Europe and Asia. The fuzzy and somewhat stocky "petals" (technically, bracts) could be thought of as somewhat resembling lions' paws—hence the genus na ...

, Leucogenes, Logfia, Lucilia, Luciliocline, Metalasia, Micropsis, Neojeffreya, Novenia, Ozothamnus, Pentzia,

Petalacte ''Petalacte'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. ;Species There is only one known species, ''Petalacte coronata'', endemic to the Cape Provinces of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa ...

, Phagnalon,

Pilosella ''Pilosella'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Some sources include it within the genus ''Hieracium''. Species , Plants of the World Online accepted the following species: *'' Pilosella abakurae'' *'' Pilosella acutifo ...

, Plecostachys,

Pseudognaphalium ''Pseudognaphalium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family. Members of the genus are commonly known as cudweeds or rabbit tobacco ('' P. obtusifolium'' is the original species with that name). They are widespread in temperate ...

, Pterocaulon, Rhodanthe, Raoulia,

Schizogyne ''Schizogyne'' is a plant genus in the tribe Inuleae within the family Asteraceae. It was established in 1828 by French botanist Alexandre de Cassini. ; Species * '' Schizogyne glaberrima'' DC. - Canary Islands (Tenerife + Gran Canaria) * '' S ...

, Staehelina, Stuckertiella, Syncarpha, Troglophyton, Vellereophyton,

Xerochrysum ''Xerochrysum'' ( syn. ''Bracteantha'') is a genus of flowering plants native to Australia. It was defined by Russian botanist Nikolai Tzvelev in 1990, preceding (and taking precedence over) ''Bracteantha'' which was described the following year ...

Secondary metabolites

''Gnaphalium'' species are known to contain

flavonoids Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans. Chemically, flavonoids ...

and diterpenes. Recently, two unique caffeoyl-D-glucaric acid derivatives, leontopodic acid and leontopodic acid B formerly only known from '' Leontopodium alpinum'' (L.) Cass. were detected in various species of ''Gnaphalium'' together with similar formerly unknown compounds.

References

External links

* *
Jepson Manual Treatment

United States Department of Agriculture PLANTS Profile for ''Gnaphalium''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q41552 Asteraceae genera