Picris
Template:Short description Template:Automatic taxobox
Picris (oxtongues) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753.Template:Sfn
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.<ref>Flora of China Vol. 20-21 Page 347 毛连菜属 mao lian cai shu Picris Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 792. 1753. </ref><ref>Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Picris</ref><ref>Atlas of Living Australia, search for Picris</ref>
EtymologyEdit
Picris is from the Greek {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} meaning 'bitter', in reference to the bitter taste of some species in the genus.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
DescriptionEdit
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.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
TaxonomyEdit
Taxonomic historyEdit
The genus Picris was first validly described by Linnaeus in 1753Template:Sfn with the genus being accepted by a number of secondary sources including Plants of the World Online.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Linnaeus initially described four species with P. hieracioides, P. echioides, P. pyrenaica and P. asplenioides.Template:Sfn In 1913, Britton and Brown proposed P. asplenioides as the type species for the genus.Template:Sfn Subsequently, in 1930, Hitchcock and Green alternatively proposed P. hieracioides as the type species.Template:Sfn The Hitchcock and Green proposal was adopted by Lack in 1975 and accepted by Jarvis in 1992.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn For this reason Lack concluded that P. hieracioides should be designated as the type species.Template:Sfn
In 1794, the German botanist Conrad Moench described the genus Medicusia and the species M. aspera.Template:Sfn 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
SpeciesEdit
'Source<ref>The Plant List search for Picris</ref> Template:Columns-list