''Officinalis'', or ''officinale'', is a

Medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying degrees. Latin functioned ...

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

denoting

organism In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells (cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and ...

s—mainly plants—with uses in medicine,

herbalism Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern reme ...

and cookery. It commonly occurs as a

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

, the second term of a two-part botanical name. ''Officinalis'' is used to modify masculine and feminine nouns, while ''officinale'' is used for neuter nouns.

Etymology

The word literally means 'of or belonging to an ', the storeroom of a monastery, where medicines and other necessaries were kept. was a contraction of , from (

gen. The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; Hebrew language, Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its i ...

) 'worker, maker, doer' (from 'work') + , , 'one who does', from 'do, perform'. When

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

invented the binomial system of nomenclature, he gave the specific name ''officinalis'', in the 1735 (1st Edition) of his , to plants (and sometimes animals) with an established medicinal, culinary, or other use.Pearn J.,"On 'officinalis' the names of plants as one enduring history of therapeutic medicine. ''Vesalius''. 2010 Dec;Suppl:24-8 Authors:

Species

*''

Althaea officinalis ''Althaea officinalis'', the marsh mallow or marshmallow, is a species of flowering plant indigenous to Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, which is used in herbalism and as an ornamental plant. A confection made from the root since ancient ...

'' (marshmallow) *''

Anchusa officinalis ''Anchusa officinalis'', commonly known as the common bugloss or alkanet, is a plant species in the genus ''Anchusa''. The plant provides a great deal of nectar for pollinators. It was rated in the top 10 for most nectar production (nectar per u ...

'' (bugloss) *''

Asparagus officinalis Asparagus, or garden asparagus, folk name sparrow grass, scientific name ''Asparagus officinalis'', is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus ''Asparagus''. Its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable. It was once classified in ...

'' (asparagus) *''

Avicennia officinalis ''Avicennia officinalis'' is a species of mangrove also known as Indian mangrove. It is named after the famous Persian scientist Ibn Sina. The young tree forms a low, dense bushy crown. When it matures, it forms a columnar tree up to 15 m and ...

'' (mangrove) *''

Bistorta officinalis ''Bistorta officinalis'' (Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Persicaria bistorta''), known as bistort, common bistort, European bistort or meadow bistort, is a species of flowering plant in the dock family Polygonaceae native plant, native to Europe ...

'' (European bistort) *''

Borago officinalis Borage ( or ; ''Borago officinalis''), also known as starflower, is an annual herb in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region, and has naturalized in many other locales. It grows satisfactorily in gar ...

'' (borage) *''

Buddleja officinalis ''Buddleja officinalis'' is a deciduous early-spring flowering shrub native to west Hubei, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces in China.Phillips, R. & Rix, M. (1989). ''Shrubs''. Pan Books, London. Discovered in 1875 by Pavel Piasetski,Bryce, W. J. (2 ...

'' (pale butterflybush) *''

Calendula officinalis ''Calendula officinalis'', the pot marigold, common marigold, ruddles, Mary's gold or Scotch marigold, is a flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is probably native to southern Europe, though its long history of cultivation makes its ...

'' (pot marigold) *''

Cinchona officinalis ''Cinchona officinalis'' is a South American tree in the family Rubiaceae. It is native to wet montane forests in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, between 1600–2700 meters above sea level. Description ''Cinchona officinalis'' is a shru ...

'' (quinine) *'' Cochlearia officinalis'' (scurvygrass) *''

Corallina officinalis ''Corallina officinalis'' is a calcareous red seaweed which grows in the lower and mid-littoral zones on rocky shores. It is primarily found growing around the rims of tide pools, but can be found in shallow crevices anywhere on the rocky shor ...

'' (a seaweed) *''

Cornus officinalis ''Cornus officinalis'', the Japanese cornel or Japanese cornelian cherry, is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae. Despite its name, it is native to China and Korea as well as Japan. It is not to be confused with '' C. mas ...

'' (cornelian cherry) *''

Cyathula officinalis ''Cyathula officinalis'' (English common names: Cyathula root, Radix Cyathula, ox knee, Chinese: chuan niu xi), is a species of '' Cyathula'' native to the China (Guizhou, Hebei, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang) and Nepal. Its IPNI The ...

'' (ox knee) *''

Cynoglossum officinale ''Cynoglossum officinale'' (houndstongue, houndstooth, dog's tongue, gypsy flower, and rats and mice due to its smell) is a herbaceous plant of the family Boraginaceae. Description It can be either annual or biennial. Leaves are greyish and so ...

'' (houndstongue) *''

Euphrasia officinalis ''Euphrasia rostkoviana'' (synonym ''Euphrasia officinalis''),
in BoDD – Botanical Dermatology Database also ...

'' (eyebright) *''

Fumaria officinalis ''Fumaria officinalis'', the common fumitory, drug fumitory or earth smoke, is a herbaceous annual flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae. It is the most common species of the genus '' Fumaria'' in Western and Central Europe. Descrip ...

'' (fumitory) *''

Galega officinalis ''Galega officinalis'', commonly known as galega or goat's-rue, is an herbaceous plant in the subfamily Faboideae of the legume family Fabaceae. It is native to parts of northern Africa, western Asia and Europe, but is widely cultivated and natu ...

'' (goat's rue) *''

Gratiola officinalis ''Gratiola officinalis'', the gratiole, common hedgehyssop, grace of God, Gratia Dei, hedge hyssop, hedge-hyssop,(Oxford English Dictionary) or herb of grace, is an ornamental plant in the family Plantaginaceae. It is a rhizomatous perennial her ...

'' (hedge hyssop) *''

Guaiacum officinale ''Guaiacum officinale'', commonly known as roughbark lignum-vitae, guaiacwood or gaïacwood, is a species of tree in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae, that is native to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America. Description This sm ...

'' (''lignum vitae'') *''

Hyssopus officinalis ''Hyssopus officinalis'' or hyssop is a shrub in the Lamiaceae or mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea. Due to its purported properties as an antiseptic, cough reliever, and expec ...

'' (hyssop) *'' Jasminum officinale'' (jasmine) *''

Laricifomes officinalis ''Laricifomes officinalis'', also known as agarikon, eburiko, or the quinine conk, is a wood-decay fungus that causes brown heart rot on conifers native to Europe, Asia, and North America, as well as Morocco. The fungus is in the order Polypor ...

'' (a wood fungus) *'' Levisticum officinale'' (lovage) *'' Lithospermum officinale'' (gromwell) *''

Magnolia officinalis ''Magnolia officinalis'' (commonly called houpu magnolia or magnolia-bark) is a species of ''Magnolia'' native to the mountains and valleys of China at altitudes of 300–1500 m. Identification It is a deciduous tree growing to 20 m in heigh ...

'' *''

Melilotus officinalis ''Melilotus officinalis'', known as sweet yellow clover, yellow melilot, ribbed melilot and common melilot, is a species of legume native to Eurasia and introduced in North America, Africa, and Australia. Description ''Melilotus officinalis'' c ...

'' (ribbed melilot) *''

Melissa officinalis Lemon balm (''Melissa officinalis'') is a perennial herbaceous plant in the mint family and native to south-central Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, Iran, and Central Asia, but now naturalised elsewhere. It grows to a maximum height of . The ...

'' (lemon balm) *'' Morinda officinalis'' (Indian mulberry) *''

Nasturtium officinale Watercress or yellowcress (''Nasturtium officinale'') is a species of aquatic flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae. Watercress is a rapidly growing perennial plant native to Europe and Asia. It is one of the oldest known leaf ve ...

'' (watercress) *''

Paeonia officinalis ''Paeonia officinalis'', the common peony, or garden peony, is a species of flowering plant in the family Paeoniaceae, native to mainly mountainous areas of Southern Europe and introduced in Central and Western Europe and North America. ''Pa ...

'' (common paeony) *'' Parietaria officinalis'' (upright pellitory) *''

Pulmonaria officinalis ''Pulmonaria officinalis'', common names lungwort, common lungwort, Mary's tears or Our Lady's milk drops, is a herbaceous rhizomatous evergreen perennial plant of the genus ''Pulmonaria'', belonging to the family Boraginaceae. Etymology The ge ...

'' (lungwort) *'' Rheum officinale'' (a rhubarb) *''

Rosa gallica ''Rosa gallica'', the Gallic rose, French rose, or rose of Provins, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, native to southern and central Europe eastwards to Turkey and the Caucasus. ''Rosa gallica'' was one of the first species of r ...

'' 'Officinalis' (apothecary rose) *''

Rosmarinus officinalis ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was known by the scientific name ''Rosmari ...

'' (rosemary) *''

Salvia officinalis ''Salvia officinalis'', the common sage or just sage, is a perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae and native to the Mediterranean region, thoug ...

'' (sage) *''

Sanguisorba officinalis ''Sanguisorba officinalis'', commonly known as great burnet, is a plant in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae. It is native throughout the cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, northern Asia, and northern North America. It ...

'' (great burnet) *''

Saponaria officinalis ''Saponaria officinalis'' is a common perennial plant from the family Caryophyllaceae. This plant has many common names, including common soapwort, bouncing-bet, crow soap, wild sweet William, and soapweed. There are about 20 species of soapwo ...

'' (soapwort) *'' Scindapsus officinalis'' (long pepper) *''

Sepia officinalis #REDIRECT Common cuttlefish #REDIRECT Common cuttlefish #REDIRECT Common cuttlefish {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ... {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ...

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Etymology

Species

See also

References