Inula

Taxobox
name = "Inula"


image_width = 250px
image_caption = "Inula helenium"
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Asterales
familia = Asteraceae
subfamilia = Asteroideae
tribus = Inuleae
genus = "Inula"
genus_authority = L.

"Inula" is a large genus of about 90 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe, Asia and Africa. It has been reported that this genus is paraphyletic, based on chemical data of the phenolic compounds of this genus.

These are mostly perennial herbs. The species vary greatly in size, from tiny species for rock gardens to enormous perennials reaching a height of over 3 metres. This genus shows equally a marked difference in the size of the leaves.

Some common characteristics include pappus with bristles, flat capitulum, and lack of chaff.

Several species are popular flowers for the garden, going back to antiquity. The name "Inula" was already used by the Romans.

Selected species

*"Inula acaulis" Schott & Kotschy ex Tchihat. – Stemless Inula
*"Inula acervata" S.Moore
*"Inula acinacifolia" Gand.
*"Inula acuminata" DC.
*"Inula anatolica" Boiss.
*"Inula auriculata" Boiss. & Balansa
*"Inula bifrons" (L.) L.
*"Inula britannica" L. – British Yellowhead
*"Inula candida" (L.) Cass.
*"Inula cappa" (Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don) DC.
*"Inula caspica" Blume
*"Inula clarkei" ( Hook.f.) R.R.Stewart
*"Inula conyzae" (Griess.) Meikle – Plougman's-spikenard
*"Inula crithmoides" L. – Golden Samphire (syn. "Limbarda crithmoides" (L.) Dum.)
*"Inula cuspidata"
*"Inula ensifolia" L.
*"Inula eupatorioides" DC.
*"Inula falconeri" Hook.f.
*"Inula forrestii"
*"Inula germanica" L.
*"Inula grandis" Schrenk ex Fisch. & C. A. Mey.
*"Inula helenioides" DC.
*"Inula helenium" L. – Elecampane
*"Inula helianthus-aquatica"
*"Inula helvetica" Weber
*"Inula hirta" L.
*"Inula hookeri" C. B. Clarke
*"Inula hupehensis"
*"Inula japonica"
*"Inula koelzii" R.Dawar & Qaiser
*"Inula lineariifolia" Turcz.
*"Inula montana" L.
*"Inula multicaulis" Boiss.
*"Inula nervosa"
*"Inula obtusifolia" A.Kern.
*"Inula oculus-christi" L.
*"Inula orientalis" Lam.
*"Inula pterocaula"
*"Inula racemosa" Hook.f.
*"Inula rhizocephala" Schrenk ex Fisch. & C. A. Mey.
*"Inula rhizocephaloides"
*"Inula royleana" DC. (synonym of "Inula racemosa" Hook.f.)
*"Inula rubricaulis"
*"Inula salicina" L. – Irish Fleabane, Willowleaf Yellowhead
*"Inula salsoloides"
*"Inula sericophylla"
*"Inula spiraeifolia" L.
*"Inula stewartii" Abid & Qaiser
*"Inula subfloccosa" Rech.f.
*"Inula thapsoides" Spreng.
*"Inula verbascifolia" (Willd.) Hausskn.
*"Inula wissmanniana"

"Inula" species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the following case-bearers of the genus "Coleophora"; "C. conyzae" (recorded on "I. conyzae"), "C. follicularis", "C. inulae" and "C. troglodytella".

References

* [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Inula&SPECIES_XREF=&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK=species Flora Europaea: "Inula"]
* [http://www.efloras.org/browse.aspx?flora_id=3&start_taxon_id=116442 Flora of China: list of Chinese "Inula" species]
*cite journal | quotes=no|author=Anderberg, A.|year= 1991|title= Taxonomy and phylogeny of tribe Inuleae (Asteraceae)|journal= Pl. Syst. Evol.|volume= 176|pages= 75–123|doi= 10.1007/BF00937947
*cite journal | quotes=no|author = Rubina Abid and M. Qaiser|year = 2003|title = Chemotoxonomic study of "Inula" L. (s.str.) and its allied genera (Inuleae - Compositae) from Pakistan and Kashmir|journal = Pak. J. Bot.|volume=35|issue=2|pages = 127–140