Paris (plant) explained

Paris is a genus of flowering plants described by Linnaeus in 1753.^{[1] [2]} It is widespread across Europe and Asia, with a center of diversity in China.^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

It consists of less than two dozen herbaceous plants: the best known species is Paris quadrifolia. Some Paris species are used in traditional Chinese medicine for their analgesic and anticoagulant properties, most notably as an ingredient of Yunnan Baiyao. Intense ethnopharmaceutical interest has significantly reduced their numbers.^[7]

These plants are closely related to Trillium, with the distinction traditionally being that Trillium contains species which have trimerous (three-petaled) flowers, and Paris contains species which have 4- to 11-merous flowers.^[8] A recent analysis places the genera Daiswa and Kinugasa in Paris, though the actual circumscription of the genus is debated.^[9]

Etymology

From Latin herba Paris (Herba Paris), Paris herba, from Latin herba and Latin par (“equal”), in reference to the regularity of its leaves, petals, etc. It is neither related to the city Paris nor the Paris of Greek mythology.

Species

The genus consists of the following species:^[3]

Notes and References

1. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358386#page/379/mode/1up Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 367
2. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40001886 Tropicos, Paris L.
3. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=285952 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
4. Govaerts, R.H.A. (2011). World checklist of selected plant families published update. Facilitated by the Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
5. http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/index1.php?scientific-name=paris+quadrifolia Altervista Flora Italiana, Uva di volpe, Paris quadrifolia L.
6. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=124055 Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 88 重楼属 chong lou shu Paris Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 367. 1753.
7. Strategies for agrobiodiversity conservation and promotion: a case from Yunnan, China . Biodiversity and Conservation . 11 . 1146–1154 . 2002 . Chun-Lin Long . Heng Li . Zhiqin Ouyang . Xiangyun Yang . Qin Li . Bruce Trangmar . 6 . amp . 10.1023/a:1023085922265 . 19806957 .
8. Phylogenetic analyses of Trilliaceae based on morphological and molecular data . Systematic Botany . 27 . 674–692 . 2002 . Susan B. Farmer . Edward E. Schilling . amp . 4 . 10.1043/0363-6445-27.4.674. 31 January 2024 .
9. Phylogeny and classification of Paris (Melanthiaceae) inferred from DNA sequence data . Annals of Botany . 98 . 245–256 . 2006 . Yunheng Ji . Peter W. Fritsch . Heng Li . Tiaojiang Xiao . Zhekun Zhou . amp . 10.1093/aob/mcl095 . 16704998 . 1 . 2803534.