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Scabiosa
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| Scabiosa | |
|---|---|
| Scabiosa columbaria 'Pink Mist' | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Dipsacales |
| Family: | Caprifoliaceae |
| Subfamily: | Dipsacoideae |
| Genus: | Scabiosa L., nom cons. |
| Species | |
|
See Species section. | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Synonymy
| |
Scabiosa /skeɪbiˈoʊsə/[2] is a genus in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae) of flowering plants.[3] Many of the species in this genus have common names that include the word scabious, but some plants commonly known as scabious are currently classified in related genera such as Knautia and Succisa; at least some of these were formerly placed in Scabiosa. Another common name for members of this genus is pincushion flowers.
Etymology
[edit]The common name 'scabious' comes the Latin word scabiosus meaning 'mangy, rough or itchy' which refers to the herb's traditional usage as a folk medicine to treat scabies, an illness that causes a severe itching sensation.[4]
Description
[edit]Some species of Scabiosa are annuals, others perennials. Some are herbaceous plants; others have woody rootstocks. The leaves of most species are somewhat hairy and partly divided into lobes, but a few are smooth and some species have simple leaves. The flowers are borne on inflorescences in the form of heads; each head contains many small florets, each floret cupped in a membranous, saucer-shaped bract. The calyx has five sepals in the form of awns almost as long as the petals. After the flowers have dropped, the calyces together with the bracts form a spiky ball that may be the reason for the "pincushion" common name. The calyx is persistent and remains as a crown on the fruit after it is shed. The corolla has four to five lobes fringing a narrow funnel with a furry throat, the funnel being somewhat longer than the lobes. The florets have four stamens each, set high in the tube, and sticking out. Each fruit has just one seed.
In a few species the heads are sessile but in most species they are borne singly on a tall peduncle.
Scabiosa species and varieties differ in the colours of their flowers, but most are soft lavender blue, lilac or creamy white.
Taxonomy
[edit]


It was first published in Species Plantarum on page 98 in 1753.[5]
Species
[edit]As accepted by Plants of the World Online;[5]
- Scabiosa adzharica Schchian
- Scabiosa africana L.
- Scabiosa albanensis R.A.Dyer
- Scabiosa amoena J.Jacq.
- Scabiosa andryifolia (Pau) Devesa
- Scabiosa angustiloba (Sond.) B.L.Burtt ex Hutch.
- Scabiosa arenaria Forssk.
- Scabiosa atropurpurea L.
- Scabiosa austroafricana Heine
- Scabiosa balcanica (Velen.) Velen.
- Scabiosa × beauverdiana Palez.
- Scabiosa bipinnata K.Koch
- Scabiosa buekiana Eckl. & Zeyh.
- Scabiosa canescens Waldst. & Kit.
- Scabiosa cartenniana A.Pons & Quézel
- Scabiosa cephalarioides Lojac.
- Scabiosa cinerea Lapeyr. ex Lam.
- Scabiosa colchica Steven
- Scabiosa columbaria L.
- Scabiosa comosa Fisch. ex Roem. & Schult.
- Scabiosa correvoniana Sommier & Levier
- Scabiosa corsica (Litard.) Gamisans
- Scabiosa crinita Kotschy & Boiss.
- Scabiosa daucoides Desf.
- Scabiosa drakensbergensis B.L.Burtt
- Scabiosa eremophila Boiss.
- Scabiosa farinosa Coss.
- Scabiosa fumarioides Vis. & Pančić
- Scabiosa galianoi Devesa, Ortega Oliv. & J.López
- Scabiosa holosericea Bertol.
- Scabiosa imeretica (Sommier & Levier) Sulak.
- Scabiosa incisa Mill.
- Scabiosa ispartaca Yıld.
- Scabiosa japonica Miq.
- Scabiosa jezoensis Nakai
- Scabiosa lacerifolia Hayata
- Scabiosa lachnophylla Kitag.
- Scabiosa libyca Alavi
- Scabiosa lucida Vill.
- Scabiosa × lucidula Beck
- Scabiosa mollissima Viv.
- Scabiosa nitens Roem. & Schult.
- Scabiosa ochroleuca L.
- Scabiosa owerinii Boiss.
- Scabiosa paphlagonica Bornm.
- Scabiosa parielii Maire
- Scabiosa parviflora Desf.
- Scabiosa praemontana Privalova
- Scabiosa pyrenaica All.
- Scabiosa semipapposa Salzm. ex DC.
- Scabiosa silenifolia Waldst. & Kit.
- Scabiosa sirnakia Yıld.
- Scabiosa sivrihisarica Yıld.
- Scabiosa solymica (Parolly, Eren & Nordt) Göktürk
- Scabiosa sosnowskyi Sulak.
- Scabiosa taygetea Boiss. & Heldr.
- Scabiosa tenuis Spruner ex Boiss.
- Scabiosa thysdrusiana Le Houér.
- Scabiosa transvaalensis S.Moore
- Scabiosa triandra L.
- Scabiosa triniifolia Friv.
- Scabiosa turolensis Pau
- Scabiosa tuzluca Yıld.
- Scabiosa tysonii L.Bolus
- Scabiosa velenovskiana Bobrov
- Scabiosa vestina Facchini ex W.D.J.Koch
- Scabiosa webbiana D.Don
Distribution
[edit]Members of this genus are native to Africa, Europe and Asia. Some species of Scabiosa, notably small scabious (S. columbaria) and Mediterranean sweet scabious (S. atropurpurea) have been developed into cultivars for gardeners.
In 1782, a mysterious pale yellow scabious, called "Scabiosa trenta", was described by Belsazar Hacquet, an Austrian physician, botanist, and mountaineer, in his work Plantae alpinae Carniolicae. It became a great source of inspiration for later botanists and mountaineers discovering the Julian Alps, especially Julius Kugy. The Austrian botanist Anton Kerner von Marilaun later proved Belsazar Hacquet had not found a new species, but a specimen of the already known submediterranean Cephalaria leucantha.[6]
They are found in various habitats such as Scabiosa solymica (formerly named Lomelosia solymica), which is a chasmophyte (a plant adapted to growing in crevices or hollows) of montane, sea facing cliffs of the Tahtalı Dağı (mountain) in the western Taurus Mountains, south of Antalya, Turkey.[7]
Ecology
[edit]Scabious flowers are nectar rich and attractive to many insects including butterflies and moths such as the six-spot burnet. Scabiosa species are food plants for the larvae of some species of Lepidoptera such as the grey pug moth.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ Scabiosa L. Archived 2023-05-29 at the Wayback Machine Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
- ^ "Scabiosa", The Plant List (version 1.1), archived from the original on 4 February 2019, retrieved 19 September 2014
- ^ Umberto Quattrocchi CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms ... (1999), p. 239, at Google Books
- ^ a b "Scabiosa L. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ Nada Praprotnik. "Trenta Scabious (Scabiosa Trenta)". Republic of Slovenia: Government Communications Office. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2014-03-24.
- ^ Parolly, G.; Eren, Ö.; Nordt, B. (2005). "Lomelosia solymica (Dipsacaceae), a new chasmophyte from the Western Taurus Mts, Turkey". Willdenowia. 35 (1): 107–115. Bibcode:2005Willd..35..107P. doi:10.3372/wi.35.35108. ISSN 0511-9618.
Scabiosa
View on GrokipediaEtymology and History
Etymology
The genus name Scabiosa derives from the Latin adjective scabiosus, meaning "mangy," "rough," or "itchy," alluding to the plant's textured leaves and its reputed efficacy in traditional remedies for skin conditions like scabies.[2] This etymology is documented in botanical nomenclature references, where the name reflects both morphological traits and historical therapeutic associations.[8] In historical folk medicine, Scabiosa species were employed in herbal treatments for sores, wounds, and itchy skin disorders, often prepared as ointments or infusions to soothe irritation and promote healing.[9] The name's connection to "scabs" underscores the belief in the plant's ability to address rough or scaly skin ailments, a usage noted in medieval European herbals.[10] Common names such as "pincushion flower" evolved from the distinctive appearance of the flower heads, where prominent, needle-like styles and stamens protrude from a compact, rounded dome, evoking pins stuck into a cushion.[6] After flowering, the persistent, bristly calyx segments contribute to a spiky, dome-like seed head that reinforces this imagery in dried arrangements.[11] The genus was formally established under this name by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, integrating these vernacular descriptors into binomial taxonomy.[2]Historical Classification
The genus Scabiosa was formally established by Carl Linnaeus in his seminal work Species Plantarum (1753), where he described 17 species based on morphological characteristics such as capitula with involucral bracts and calyces with feathery pappus-like appendages. This initial circumscription encompassed a diverse array of Eurasian and African herbs, reflecting the limited herbarium material available at the time, and laid the foundation for subsequent taxonomic studies of the group.[12] Historically, Scabiosa was classified within the family Dipsacaceae, a placement rooted in 18th- and 19th-century morphology-based systems that emphasized shared inflorescence and fruit features with genera like Dipsacus.[4] This assignment persisted through much of the 20th century until molecular phylogenetic analyses in the post-2000 era, including studies using nuclear ITS and chloroplast markers, revealed closer affinities to Caprifoliaceae s.l., leading to its transfer there under the APG III system (2009). These investigations demonstrated that Dipsacaceae formed a subclade within Caprifoliaceae, prompting a broader realignment of the order Dipsacales.[13] Reclassifications of Scabiosa species into segregate genera began in the late 18th and 19th centuries due to distinctions in calyx structure, seed dispersal mechanisms, and morphological differences, with notable transfers including S. arvensis to K. arvensis in Knautia in 1823 and the re-establishment of Succisa (e.g., S. succisa becoming S. pratensis) in 1794 based on perennial habit and involucral differences.[14][15][16] Further refinements occurred in the 20th century with emerging genetic data. A prominent example of misidentification resolution occurred with Scabiosa trenta, described by Belsazar Hacquet in 1782 from the Julian Alps; later investigations in the late 19th century by Anton Kerner von Marilaun confirmed it as Cephalaria leucantha, a species with similar pale yellow capitula but distinct fruit morphology, highlighting early challenges in alpine taxonomy.[17] Key contributions to Scabiosa taxonomy in the 19th century came from botanists like Pierre Edmond Boissier, whose multi-volume Flora Orientalis (1867–1888) documented over 20 species across Eurasia and North Africa, refining distributions and describing new taxa such as S. argentea through extensive field collections and herbarium revisions. These works integrated observations from Mediterranean and Middle Eastern floras, providing a critical bridge between Linnaean foundations and modern systematics.Morphology
Vegetative Features
Scabiosa plants primarily exhibit herbaceous habits as annuals, biennials, or perennials, with rare subshrubby forms occurring in Mediterranean regions; they are unarmed and typically reach heights of 10 cm to 1.2 m.[18][19] Stems are erect to ascending, branched, bearing glabrous, hairy, or glandular pubescence; young stems in some species feature a tetragonal cross-section.[8][20] Leaves occur in basal rosettes and as cauline foliage, arranged oppositely or alternately, petiolate, and ranging from simple and entire to pinnately lobed or dissected, with pinnate venation and often rough or tomentose surfaces that inspired the genus name from the Latin scabies (itch).[8][20][11] Heterophylly is common, with basal leaves typically larger and more variable than narrower stem leaves; for instance, S. columbaria has basal leaves that are oval to lanceolate and unlobed or pinnately lobed, while S. atropurpurea features more deeply pinnatifid or lyrate basal leaves and pinnatifid cauline ones.[21][6] Root systems in perennial species often consist of taproots or thick, ramified structures, enabling adaptation to dry soils and drought-prone habitats.[22][23]Floral and Reproductive Structures
The inflorescences of Scabiosa species are compact capitula, or flower heads, typically 2–5 cm across, borne terminally on long peduncles and subtended by a prominent involucre of foliaceous bracts in one or two rows.[24] These hemispherical or cylindrical heads contain numerous small, sessile flowers, with the outer marginal florets often enlarged into showy ray-like forms and the inner disc florets being fertile and smaller.[8] Flower colors vary but are predominantly lavender, blue, pink, or white, attracting insect pollinators through their vibrant displays.[24] Individual flowers in the capitulum are bisexual and actinomorphic to slightly zygomorphic, featuring a tubular corolla divided into 4–5 unequal lobes, which are longer in the marginal florets.[24] The calyx is cylindrical to campanulate with five bristly or setose teeth that persist and spread in fruit, forming a distinctive spiny, birdcage-like involucre (epicalyx) around the developing achenes; this structure, often 8-ribbed and crowned by a membranous corona, aids in seed protection and dispersal. Each flower is enclosed by an 8-bracted involucel that enlarges slightly in fruit, contributing to the overall ornamental appearance of the maturing head.[8] Reproduction in Scabiosa is primarily through seeds, with many species being self-compatible yet predominantly outcrossing due to protandry and pollinator dependence, though selfing can occur in isolated populations, as observed in S. canescens.[25] The fruits are small, indehiscent achenes, 4–5-angled or ribbed, each enclosed within the persistent epicalyx and topped by the accrescent calyx awns, which function as pappus-like structures facilitating anemochory (wind dispersal).[2] Seeds are minute, with a straight embryo and sparse endosperm, enabling efficient wind transport while enclosed in the calyx for protection.[26] Variations exist among life forms: annual species such as S. atropurpurea typically produce denser capitula compared to perennials like S. columbaria, which have sparser heads, reflecting adaptations to short versus extended lifecycles.[27]Taxonomy
Classification and Phylogeny
Scabiosa is classified within the family Caprifoliaceae Juss., specifically in the subfamily Dipsacoideae, which encompasses the former segregate family Dipsacaceae based on molecular evidence from nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and chloroplast trnL-F regions that demonstrate close evolutionary ties to other Caprifoliaceae lineages. This placement reflects the APG IV system's recognition of Dipsacaceae as embedded within Caprifoliaceae sensu lato, supported by shared synapomorphies such as epicalyx structures and seed dispersal mechanisms. The genus comprises 67 accepted species according to the Plants of the World Online database.[28] Phylogenetically, Scabiosa occupies a position within the tribe Scabiosae of Dipsacoideae, forming a monophyletic clade that is sister to the genus Sixalix Raf., with robust support from combined analyses of ITS, trnL-F, and additional markers like atpB-rbcL.[29] Its close relatives include genera such as Knautia L. (tribe Knautieae), Succisa Vahl (tribe Succiseae), and Pterocephalus Adans. (tribe Pterocephalideae), all within Dipsacoideae, where monophyly is reinforced by morphological traits including involucral bracts and calyx pappus development.[29] This clade is not basal to the entire Caprifoliaceae but represents a derived lineage within the family's diversification during the Miocene, characterized by parallel evolutions in seed dispersal syndromes. Subgeneric divisions in Scabiosa remain informal, often delineated by growth habit—such as annual species like Scabiosa atropurpurea L. versus predominantly perennial forms—and geographic distribution, with major clades centered in the Mediterranean Basin and disjunct African lineages reflecting post-Miocene radiations.[30] Key molecular studies from the 2000s and 2010s, including those by Caputo et al. (2004) and Carlson et al. (2009), have confirmed the genus's monophyly and resolved internal relationships using multi-locus data, while highlighting ongoing taxonomic debates surrounding hybrid origins, particularly in complexes like Scabiosa columbaria L. and S. ochroleuca Pall., where homoploid hybridization complicates species boundaries.[29]Species Diversity
The genus Scabiosa comprises 67 accepted species, predominantly perennials with a smaller number of annuals.[28] Species diversity within Scabiosa exhibits high endemism, particularly in the Mediterranean Basin, where numerous taxa are restricted to specific habitats such as coastal dunes; for instance, S. maritima is endemic to Mediterranean coastal regions and adapted to sandy, saline environments.[30] In Africa, diversity includes several endemics, with nine species native to South Africa, such as S. africana in the Cape region, and subspecies of S. columbaria extending into southern African montane areas.[2][31] Infrageneric variation is marked by a division into an annual clade of approximately 10 species, often found in lowland or disturbed habitats, and a larger perennial clade encompassing about 57 species, which dominate montane and steppe environments across Eurasia and Africa.[30] Recent taxonomic revisions have led to splits, such as S. adzharica recognized as distinct in the Caucasus region, previously lumped with related taxa. Notable species illustrate this diversity:- S. atropurpurea: An annual ornamental with vibrant purple flowers, native to southern Europe and widely cultivated for cut flowers.[32]
- S. columbaria: A widespread perennial across Europe and parts of Africa and Asia, valued for its lavender-blue involucrate heads and traditional medicinal uses.[31]
- S. ochroleuca: A perennial with pale yellow flowers, distributed from central Europe to Central Asia, often in grassy steppes.[33]
- S. africana: A South African endemic perennial, shrubby with pinkish flowers, restricted to fynbos and renosterveld habitats.
- S. caucasica: A perennial from the Caucasus with large lavender-blue flowers, popular in horticulture for its long-blooming habit.
- S. maritima: An annual or short-lived perennial endemic to Mediterranean coasts, featuring white to lilac flowers in dune ecosystems.
- S. incisa: A perennial South African endemic with dissected leaves and pale flowers, adapted to rocky slopes.[34]
- S. amoena: A perennial from the eastern Mediterranean with rose-purple flowers, noted for its ornamental potential.
- S. hyrcanica: A perennial of the Caucasus and Iran, with compact habit and blue flowers in woodland edges.[35]
- S. adzharica: A perennial from the Caucasus, recently delimited as distinct, with finely divided leaves and pale involucres.
