Sigesbeckia orientalis

Sigesbeckia orientalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Sigesbeckia
Species: S. orientalis
Binomial name
Sigesbeckia orientalis
L.

Sigesbeckia orientalis, known as eastern St Paul's-wort[1] and common St. Paul's wort,[2] is a species of plant from Asteraceae used in traditional medicine to treat syphilis, leprosy and other skin-related illnesses.[3]

Distribution

Sigesbeckia orientalis has a broad distribution in Africa, Asia, but has been widely naturalised outside this range.[4] It is unclear whether it is native to Australia or has been introduced there.[5]

Nomenclature

Academician Johann Siegesbeck who disagreed with Linnaeus' binomial nomenclature based on plants' reproductive organs, described his work as "loathsome harlotry". Linnaeus named the small, ugly weed Sigesbeckia orientalis after Johann Siegesbeck for revenge.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "BSBI List 2007" (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. ↑ "Sigesbeckia orientalis". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  3. ↑ Treatment and distribution
  4. ↑ "Sigesbeckia orientalis L.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Sigesbeckia orientalis L.". New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  6. ↑ Lynn Barber. The Heyday of Natural History. New York: Doubleday, 1980. p. 54. See also Strange Science, biography of Linnaeus


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