''Parthenium'' is a genus of

North American North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...

shrubs in the tribe

Heliantheae The Heliantheae (sometimes called the sunflower tribe) are the third-largest tribe in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). With some 190 genera and nearly 2500 recognized species, only the tribes Senecioneae and Astereae are larger. The name is ...

within 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 ...

and subfamily

Asteroideae Asteroideae is a subfamily of the plant family Asteraceae. It contains about 70% of the species of the family. It consists of several tribes, including Astereae, Calenduleae, Eupatorieae, Gnaphalieae, Heliantheae, Senecioneae and Tageteae. Aste ...

.Tropicos, ''Parthenium'' L.
/ref> The name ''Parthenium'' is an evolution of the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

name παρθένιον (''parthenion''), which referred to ''

Tanacetum parthenium ''Tanacetum parthenium'', known as feverfew, is a flowering plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It may be grown as an ornament, and may be identified by its synonyms, ''Chrysanthemum parthenium'' and ''Pyrethrum parthenium''. Description T ...

''. The name is possibly derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

word παρθένος (''parthenos'') which means "virgin". Members of the genus are commonly known as feverfew. Notable species include guayule ('' P. argentatum'') which has been used as a rubber substitute, especially during the Second World War; and also '' P. hysterophorus'', a serious invasive species in the Old World.

Species

These include:Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist
* '' Parthenium alpinum'' (Nutt.) Torr. & A.Gray – Arkansas River feverfew - NM CO WY * ''

Parthenium argentatum ''Parthenium argentatum'', commonly known as the guayule ( or , as in Spanish), is a perennial woody shrub in the family Asteraceae that is native to the rangeland area of the Chihuahuan Desert; including the southwestern United States and northe ...

'' A.Gray – Guayule - TX, Coahuila, Guanajuato, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí,

Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...

* ''

Parthenium cineraceum ''Parthenium'' is a genus of North American shrubs in the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae and subfamily Asteroideae. The name ''Parthenium'' is an evolution of the Ancient Greek name παρθένιον (''parthenion''), which ref ...

'' Rollins - Bolivia,

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

* '' Parthenium confertum'' A.Gray – Gray's feverfew - AZ NM TX Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro,

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

* ''

Parthenium fruticosum ''Parthenium'' is a genus of North American shrubs in the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae and subfamily Asteroideae. The name ''Parthenium'' is an evolution of the Ancient Greek name παρθένιον (''parthenion''), which ref ...

'' Less. - from

to Chiapas * '' Parthenium hysterophorus'' L. – Santa Maria feverfew, whitetop weed - widespread in

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

; as an invasive species in India, Australia, and Africa * ''

Parthenium incanum ''Parthenium incanum'', with the common names mariola and New Mexico rubber plant, is a plant in the genus ''Parthenium'' of the family Asteraceae. The plant is native to North America, from the Southwestern United States through Northern, Cent ...

'' Kunth – mariola - NV UT AZ NM TX Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango,

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí,

* '' Parthenium integrifolium'' L. – American feverfew, wild quinine - from TX to MA + MN * '' Parthenium ligulatum'' (M.E. Jones) Barneby – Colorado feverfew - CO UT * '' Parthenium rollinsianum'' Rzed. - San Luis Potosí * '' Parthenium schottii'' Greenm. ex Millsp. & Chase -

Yucatán Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate mun ...

* ''

Parthenium tomentosum ''Parthenium'' is a genus of North American shrubs in the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae and subfamily Asteroideae. The name ''Parthenium'' is an evolution of the Ancient Greek name παρθένιον (''parthenion''), which ref ...

'' DC. -

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

, Puebla

Importance

In North America, the Jicarilla Apache people used ''

'' for medicine (Opler 1946: 8). The sap of guayule ('' P. argentatum'') is a source of

natural rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

. Parthenium hysterophorus is a common invasive species in India, Australia, and parts of Africa. Its pollen can cause

allergies Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic dermat ...

and the sap is toxic.

Gallery

Image:Parthenium argentatum (USDA).jpg, ''

'' File:Parthenium IMG20200104105005.jpg Image:Parthenium integrifolium wild quinine MN 2007.JPG, Wild quinine ('' Parthenium integrifolium'') Parthenium infestation in Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary

Parthenium infestation in Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary

References

* * Opler, Morris E. (1946). Childhood and youth in Jicarilla Apache society. Publications of the Frederick Webb Hodge Anniversary Fund (Vol. 5). Los Angeles: The Southwest Museum Administrator of the Fund.

Further information

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q3236767 Asteraceae genera