Leontodon

Leontodon
Leontodon hispidus L.
Seed-head of Leontodon hispidus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Cichorioideae
Tribe: Cichorieae
Subtribe: Hypochaeridinae
Genus: Leontodon
L.
Synonyms[1]
List
  • Antodon Neck.
  • Apargia Scop.
  • Asterothrix Cass.
  • Bohadschia F.W.Schmidt
  • Colobium Roth
  • Dens-leonis Ség.
  • Microderis DC.
  • Plancia Neck.
  • Streckera Sch.Bip.
  • Thrincia Roth.
  • Thrixa Dulac
  • Virea Adans.

Leontodon is a genus of plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae, commonly known as hawkbits.

Their English name derives from the mediaeval belief that hawks ate the plant to improve their eyesight. Although originally only native to Eurasia and North Africa, some species have since become established in other countries, including the United States[2] and New Zealand.[3]

Recent research has shown that the genus Leontodon in the traditional delimitation is polyphyletic. Therefore, the former Leontodon subgenus Oporinia was raised to generic level.[4] According to the nomenclatural rules the name Scorzoneroides has priority at generic level and therefore, the members of Leontodon subgenus Oporinia were transferred to the re-erected genus Scorzoneroides.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "52. Leontodon Linnaeus", Flora of North America
  3. ^ "LEONTODON L.", Flora of New Zealand
  4. ^ Rosabelle Samuel; Walter Gutermann; Tod F. Stuessy; Claudete F. Ruas; Hans-Walter Lack; Karin Tremetsberger; Salvador Talavera; Barbara Hermanowski; Friedrich Ehrendorfer (2006), "Molecular phylogenetics reveals Leontodon (Asteraceae, Lactuceae) to be diphyletic", American Journal of Botany, 93 (8): 1193–1205, doi:10.3732/ajb.93.8.1193, PMID 21642184
  5. ^ Greuter, W.; Gutermann, W. & Talavera, S. (2006), "A preliminary conspectus of Scorzoneroides (Compositae, Cichorieae) with validation of the required new names" (PDF), Willdenowia, 36 (2): 689–692, doi:10.3372/wi.36.36204, ISSN 0511-9618, S2CID 85657923, archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-06