Chrozophora
Encyclopedia
Chrozophora is a plant
genus
of the family
Euphorbiaceae
and the sole genus comprised in the subtribe Chrozophorinae. It comprises 11 or 12 species, which are monoecious herb
s or undershrubs. They are found from Africa
and the Mediterranean to Southeast Asia
.
C. tinctoria produced the blue-purple colorant "turnsole
" used in medieval illuminated manuscript
s and as a food colorant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae, the Spurge family are a large family of flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7,500 species. Most are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are also shrubs or trees. Some are succulent and resemble cacti....
and the sole genus comprised in the subtribe Chrozophorinae. It comprises 11 or 12 species, which are monoecious herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s or undershrubs. They are found from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the Mediterranean to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
.
C. tinctoria produced the blue-purple colorant "turnsole
Turnsole
Turnsole or folium was a dyestuff prepared from the annual plant Crozophora tinctoria .-History:...
" used in medieval illuminated manuscript
Illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
s and as a food colorant
Synonyms
- Crossophora Link.Johann Heinrich Friedrich LinkJohann Heinrich Friedrich Link was a German naturalist and botanist.Link was born at Hildesheim as a son of the minister August Heinrich Link , who taught him the love for nature through collection of 'natural objects'...
- Crozophora A.Juss.Adrien-Henri de JussieuAdrien-Henri de Jussieu was a French botanist.Born in Paris as the son of botanist Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1824 with a treatise of the plant family Euphorbiaceae. When his father retired in 1826, he succeeded him at the Jardin des Plantes; in...
(orth. var.) - Ricinoides MoenchConrad MoenchConrad Moench was a German botanist, sometimes written Konrad Mönch, was Professor of Botany at the Marburg University from 1786 until his death....
- Tournesol Adans.Michel AdansonMichel Adanson was a French naturalist of Scottish descent.Adanson was born at Aix-en-Provence. His family moved to Paris on 1730. After leaving the College Sainte Barbe he was employed in the cabinets of R. A. F. Reaumur and Bernard de Jussieu, as well as in the Jardin des Plantes. At the end of...
- Tournesolia Scop.Giovanni Antonio ScopoliGiovanni Antonio Scopoli was an Italian physician and naturalist.-Biography:...