Vernonia

Vernonia is a genus of about 1000 species of forbs and shrubs in the family Asteraceae. Some species are sometimes known as ironweeds. Some species are edible and of economic value. They are known for having intense purple flowers. The genus is named for English botanist William Vernon. There are numerous distinct subgenera and subsections in this genus. This has led some botanists to divide this large genus into smaller groups which separate the species into distinct genera. For instance, the Flora of North America only recognizes about 20 species, 17 of which are in North America or n. Mexico, with the other two or three being found in South America.


USES
Several species of Vernonia, including Vernonia calvoana, V. amygdalina, and V. colorata, are eaten as leaf vegetables. Common names for these species include bitterleaf, ewuro, ndole and onugbu. They are common in most West African and Central African countries. They are one of the most widely consumed leaf vegetables of Cameroon, where they are a key ingredient of ndole stew. The leaves have a sweet and bitter taste. They are sold fresh or dried, and are a typical ingredient in egusi soup.

Vernonia amygdalina is well known as a medicinal plant with several uses attributed to it, including for diabetes, fever reduction, and recently a non-pharmaceutical solution to persistent fever, headache, and joint pain associated with AIDS.


Some species
Vernonia noveboracensis (New York ironweed or Vein-leaf hawkweed) is a plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is native to the eastern United States, from Florida to Massachusetts and west to Tennessee, Alabama, and West Virginia.

Vernonia galamensis is a plant in the sunflower family, known for its use as an oilseed. This species, often called ironweed, is the largest source of vernonia oil, which is rich in a useful epoxy fatty acid called vernolic acid and is used to make plastics, rubbery coatings, and drying agents. Use of this oil as a replacement for traditional plasticizers and binders in the production of paints and PVC shows promise as a method of reducing smog pollution. Vernonia galamensis is a daisylike annual which is quite variable in appearance between individual plants. It produces a flower which may be blue or purple, with long petals surrounding a center made up of shorter petals called florets. The center is filled with seeds, some of which may have a hairy tuft called a pappus. Depending on environmental conditions the plant may be squat and shrubby or extremely tall. It may send out few stems, each with one flower, or many stems with bunches of flowers.

Vernonia acaulis

Vernonia altissima

Vernonia pulchella

Vernonia texana

Vernonia arkansana

Vernonia angustifolia

Vernonia baldwinii

Vernonia blodgettii

Vernonia fasciculata

Vernonia flaccidifolia

Vernonia gigantea

Vernonia amygdalina

Vernonia calvoana

Vernonia colorata

Vernonia glauca

Vernonia larseniae

Vernonia lettermannii

Vernonia lindheimeri

Vernonia staehelinoides

Vernonia marginata

Vernonia missurica

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