Inula Explained

Inula is a genus of about 80 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe, Asia and Africa.

They may be annuals, herbaceous perennials or subshrubs that vary greatly in size, from small species a few centimeters tall to enormous perennials over 30NaN0 tall. They carry yellow daisy-like composite flowerheads often with narrow ray-florets.

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

Several species are popular flowers for the garden, with cultivation going back to antiquity. The smaller species are used in rock gardens and the more common larger ones, which tend to have very coarse foliage, in borders.

Etymology

The genus name Inula is of uncertain origin, and was already in use by the Romans. The Latin phrase inula campana (field inula) gave rise to the English whose scientific name is Inula helenium. The plant's specific name, helenium, derives from Helen of Troy; elecampane is said to have sprung up from where her tears fell.^[1]

Species

The following species are recognised in the genus Inula:^[2]

Select species formerly in Inula

• Inula auriculata Boiss. & Balansa => Pentanema auriculatum (Boiss. & Balansa) D.Gut.Larr. et al.
• Inula britannica L. => Pentanema britannica (L.) D.Gut.Larr.et al. – British yellowhead
• Inula conyzae (Griess.) Meikle => Pentanema squarrosum (L.) D.Gut.Larr.et al. – ploughman's-spikenard
• Inula crithmoides L. => Limbarda crithmoides (L.) Dumort. – golden samphire
• Inula dysenterica L. => Pulicaria dysenterica (L.) Bernh.
• Inula graminifolia Michx. => Pityopsis graminifolia (Michx.) Nutt.
• Inula graveolens (L.) Desf. => Dittrichia graveolens (L.) Greuter – stinkwort, stinkweed
• Inula hirta L. => Pentanema hirtum (L.) D.Gut.Larr. et al.
• Inula indica L. => Pentanema indicum (L.) Y.Ling
• Inula mariana L. => Chrysopsis mariana (L.) Elliott
• Inula orientalis Lam. => Pentanema orientale (Lam.) D.Gut.Larr.et al.
• Inula primulifolia Lam. => Conyza primulifolia (Lam.) Cuatrec. & Lourteig
• Inula salicina L. => Pentanema salicinum (L.) D.Gut.Larr.et al. – Irish fleabane, willowleaf yellowhead
• Inula spiraeifolia L. => Pentanema spiraeifolium (L.) D.Gut.Larr.et al.
• Inula subaxillaris Lam. => Heterotheca subaxillaris (Lam.) Britton & Rusby
• Inula viscosa => Dittrichia viscosa – false yellowhead, sticky fleabane, woody fleabane

Ecology

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

External links

• • Flora Europaea: Inula
• Flora of China: list of Chinese Inula species
• Anderberg, A.. 1991. Taxonomy and phylogeny of tribe Inuleae (Asteraceae). Pl. Syst. Evol.. 176. 1–2. 75–123. 10.1007/BF00937947. 1991PSyEv.176...75A.
• Rubina Abid and M. Qaiser. 2003. Chemotoxonomic study of Inula L. (s.str.) and its allied genera (Inuleae - Compositae) from Pakistan and Kashmir. Pak. J. Bot.. 35. 2. 127–140.

Notes and References

1. Book: A Handbook of British Flowering Plants . 2007 . 271 . 978-1-4067-6632-5 . Melderis . A. . 2009-04-13 . READ BOOKS .
2. Web site: Inula L. Plants of the World Online Kew Science . 2022-07-03 . Plants of the World Online . en.