Picris

Picris (oxtongues) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753.

Picris species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, such as the grass moth Diasemia reticularis. Schinia cardui feeds exclusively on P. hieracioides.

The genus is widespread across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

Etymology

Picris is from the Greek meaning 'bitter', in reference to the bitter taste of some species in the genus.

Description

Erect annual to perennial taprooted herbs, mostly branching, stem and leaves bearing stiff bristly hairs, with rather large, usually corymbose or paniculate heads of yellow flowers.

Taxonomy

Taxonomic history

The genus Picris was first validly described by Linnaeus in 1753 with the genus being accepted by a number of secondary sources including Plants of the World Online. Linnaeus initially described four species with P. hieracioides, P. echioides, P. pyrenaica and P. asplenioides. In 1913, Britton and Brown proposed P. asplenioides as the type species for the genus. Subsequently, in 1930, Hitchcock and Green alternatively proposed P. hieracioides as the type species. The Hitchcock and Green proposal was adopted by Lack in 1975 and accepted by Jarvis in 1992. Lack argued that Linnaeus never saw P. asplenioides which Linnaeus regarded as an obscure species and no specimen could be found in the Linnean Herbarium. For this reason Lack concluded that P. hieracioides should be designated as the type species.

In 1794, the German botanist Conrad Moench described the genus Medicusia and the species M. aspera. This genus has not been accepted and is considered a synonym of Picris. M. aspera has also been determined to be a synonym of P. rhagadioloides.

Species

'Source

Sources

• Boissier, Edmond (1849). Diagnoses plantarum Orientalium novarum. 1. Vol. 11.
• Britton, Nathaniel Lord; Brown, Addison (1913). An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British possessions, from Newfoundland to the parallel of the southern boundary of Virginia, and from the Atlantic Ocean westward to the 102d meridian. Vol. 3 (2 ed.). New York: Scribner.
• Compositae Working Group (CWG) (2020). "Compositae Database". Compositae Working Group (CWG). doi:10.14284/411. Retrieved July 22, 2020. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
• Hitchcock, A. S.; Green, M. L. (1929). "IV.-Proposal by A.S. Hitchcock (Washington) and M.L. Green (Kew).". International Botanical Congress, Cambridge (England) 1930. London: Printed under the authority of His Majesty's Stationery Office, by Wyman & sons, Ltd., Fetter Lane, London. pp. 111–199.
• Jarvis, C.E. (August 1992). Nicolson, Dan H. (ed.). "Seventy-Two Proposals for the Conservation of Types of Selected Linnaean Generic Names, the Report of Subcommittee 3C on the Lectotypification of Linnaean Generic Names". Taxon. 41 (3): 552–583. Bibcode:1992Taxon..41..552J. doi:10.2307/1222833. JSTOR 1222833. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
• Lack, H. Walter (February 1975). "Type Specimens of the Linnaean Species of Picris L. (Compositae)". Taxon. 24 (1): 113–116. Bibcode:1975Taxon..24..113L. doi:10.2307/1219007. JSTOR 1219007.
• Linnaeus, Carl (1753). Species plantarum : exhibentes plantas rite cognitas ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas (in latin). Vol. 2. Berlin: Junk.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• Moench, Conrad (1794). Methodus plantas horti botanici et agri Marburgensis :a staminum situ describendi (in Latina). Vol. 2. Marburgi Cattorum: in officina nova libraria academiae.
• Holzapfel, S. (2015). Flora of Australia (PDF). Mantisalca. Vol. 37. Melbourne: ABRS/CSIRO.
• Schultz, Carl Heinrich `Bipontinus' (1833). Flora oder Botanische Zeitung :welche Recensionen, Abhandlungen, Aufsätze, Neuigkeiten und Nachrichten, die Botanik betreffend, enthält (in Latina and Deutsch). Vol. 16. Regensburg: Die Gesellschaft.
• Schultz, Carl Heinrich `Bipontinus' (1834). Flora oder Botanische Zeitung :welche Recensionen, Abhandlungen, Aufsätze, Neuigkeiten und Nachrichten, die Botanik betreffend, enthält (in Latina and Deutsch). Vol. 17. Regensburg: Die Gesellschaft.