SIDERITISL. - IRONWORT
Scientific Description:
Annual or perennial herbs or small shrubs, pilose or tomentose, with or without glands, rarely glabrous. Leaves entire or crenate-dentate. Verticillasters (4−)6(−10)-flowered, distant or ± crowded; bracts leaf-like, or entire and hiding the calyx tube; bracteoles absent. Calyx tubular-campanulate, 5−10-veined, 5-toothed, teeth equal or the upper larger than the 4 lower. Corolla usually yellow, sometimes white or red, tube not exceeding calyx, upper up patent, ± flat, entire or 2-fid, lower up 3-lobed. Stamens 4, included in corolla tube; style included. Nutlets ovate, rounded at apex, glabrous.
Reference:
Huber-Morath A (1982). Sideritis L., In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 7: 178.
Public Description:
Sideritis is a genus of annual and perennial herbs or small shrubs, known as “ironwort”, and is abundant in Mediterranean regions, the Balkans, the Iberian Peninsula, but can also be found in Central Europe and temperate Asia. There are approximately 189 species in the world and 45 species (53 taxa) in Türkiye. Some species are very popular in Greece, Türkiye, Albania, Kosovo, Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia and are used herbal tea with honey and lemon. They have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. They have been traditionally used to aid digestion, strengthen the immune system and suppress common cold, the flu and other viruses, allergies and shortness of breath, sinus congestion, even pain and mild anxiety.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideritis, Accessed date: 17.02.2016.
Anonymous 2 (2016). https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/genus/sideritis/, Accessed date: 17.02.2016.
Anonymous 3 (2016). http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/Lamiaceae/Sideritis/, Accessed date: 17.02.2016.
Duman H (2012). Sideritis L., In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 585–588.
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