''Vicoa'' 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 belonging to elecampane tribe within the

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 ...

(sunflower family). It is found in parts of Africa and stretching across Asia to Indochina. It was described by Alexandre Henri Gabriel de Cassini (Cass.) in 1829, but the genus was later absorbed into the ''Pentanema'' genus (also within the ''Asteraceae'' family). Until molecular analysis in 2018, determined it was a separate genus.

Description

They are annual or

perennial 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 ...

herbs,Gyanendra Pandey (Sri Satguru Publications, 1994) with simple (undivided or unsegmented),James P. Mandaville or entire (not divided) leaves. The leaves are arranged alternate (at different levels along the stem), with pinnately veining (lateral veins are arranged either side of the main vein) and they are mostly amplexicaule (the base is dilated and clasping the stem) at the base. They have flowers which have solitary, radiate heads (ray floret surrounding disc florets), which are either axillary (beside a leaf joint) or leaf opposed. They have a peduncle (flower stalk), and involucral bracts which are inbricate (overlapping) in several rows. The achenes (one-seeded indehiscent fruit) are subterete (partially circular in cross-section) with a pappus (a tuft or ring of hairs or scales borne above the ovary) of unequal bristles.

Known species

There are about 14 accepted species; Some species are still to be accepted, such as ''Vicoa gokhalei'' from India.

Taxonomy

The genus name of ''Vicoa'' is in honour of Giambattista Vico (1668–1744), an Italian

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

, rhetorician,

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

, and

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...

during the Italian Enlightenment. It was first described and published in ''Ann. Sci. Nat.'' (Paris) Vol.17 on page 418 in 1829. It was then absorbed into the genus of ''

Pentanema ''Pentanema'' is a genus of Asian and African plants in the tribe Inuleae 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 th ...

'', until in 2018, the ''Vicoa'' genus was re-established due to molecular analysis of the ''Pentanema'' genus.

Range

It is native to parts of Africa and Asia. From the island of

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

, (Macaronesia), then the African countries of; Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Parts of Western Asia; Afghanistan and Iran. Central Asia; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. China; south-central and southeast China and Tibet. Indian subcontinent; East Himalaya, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Himalaya. Lastly, parts of Indochina; Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

Uses

Some species such as ''Vicoa indica'' have used in folk medicine, in the Himalayas. The roots were used to treat kidney troubles and the leaves were used for stomach problems.N. P. Singh

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q87176112 Inuleae Asteraceae genera Plants described in 1829 Flora of Cape Verde Flora of West Tropical Africa Flora of Cameroon Flora of the Central African Republic Flora of Northeast Tropical Africa Flora of East Tropical Africa Flora of South Tropical Africa Flora of Afghanistan Flora of Iran Flora of Central Asia Flora of South-Central China Flora of Southeast China Flora of Tibet Flora of the Indian subcontinent Flora of Indo-China Taxa named by Henri Cassini