Inula

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Genus of flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae

title: "Inula" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["inula", "asteraceae-genera"] description: "Genus of flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae" topic_path: "general/inula" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inula" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae ::

| image = Inula_helenium_-_Köhler–s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-210.jpg | image_caption = Inula helenium | display_parents = 2 | taxon = Inula | authority = L. | synonyms_ref = | synonyms =

  • Bojeria DC.
  • Codonocephalum Fenzl
  • Corvisartia Mérat
  • Cupularia Godr. & Gren.
  • Orsina Bertol.
  • Eritheis Gray
  • Petrollinia Chiov.
  • Sprunnera Sch.Bip.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Inula_helenium.jpg" caption="''Inula helenium''"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Inula_oculus-christi_-_JBM.jpg" caption="''Inula oculus-christi''"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Inula_conyzae_-_Köhler–s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-192.jpg" caption="Ploughman's-spikenard (''Inula conyzae'')"] ::

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 3 m 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 elecampane 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.{{Cite book | title = A Handbook of British Flowering Plants | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5EP7rYY69UgC&dq=Inula&pg=PA271 | year = 2007 | pages = 271 | isbn = 978-1-4067-6632-5 | last1 = Melderis | first1 = A. | access-date = 2009-04-13 | publisher = READ BOOKS

Species

The following species are recognised in the genus Inula:

Select species formerly in ''Inula''

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.

Gallery

File:Inula hookeri (2018) 02.jpg|Inula hookeri. Budding flower bud. File:Inula hookeri. locatie, Tuinen Mien Ruys.JPG|Inula hookeri. Inflorescence.

References

References

  1. 1897 illustration from Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen
  2. "Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist".
  3. "Inula L. {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

inulaasteraceae-genera