Picris is from the Greek picros meaning 'bitter', in reference to the bitter taste of some species in the genus.[14][15]
Description
Erect annual to perennial taprooted herbs, mostly branching, stem and leaves bearing stiff bristly hairs, with rather large, usually corymbose or paniculate heads of yellow flowers.[15][14]
Taxonomy
Taxonomic history
The genus Picris was first validly described by Linnaeus in 1753[1] with the genus being accepted by a number of secondary sources including Plants of the World Online.[16] Linnaeus initially described four species with P. hieracioides, P. echioides, P. pyrenaica and P. asplenioides.[1] In 1913, Britton and Brown proposed P. asplenioides as the type species for the genus.[15] Subsequently, in 1930, Hitchcock and Green alternatively proposed P. hieracioides as the type species.[17] The Hitchcock and Green proposal was adopted by Lack in 1975 and accepted by Jarvis in 1992.[18][19] Lack argued that Linnaeus never saw P. asplenioides which Linnaeus regarded as an obscure species and no specimen could be found in the Linnean Herbarium.[18] For this reason Lack concluded that P. hieracioides should be designated as the type species.[18]
In 1794, the German botanist Conrad Moench described the genus Medicusia and the species M. aspera.[8] This genus has not been accepted and is considered a synonym of Picris. M. aspera has also been determined to be a synonym of P. rhagadioloides.[20]
Hitchcock, A. S.; Green, M. L. (1929). "IV.-Proposal by A.S. Hitchcock (Washington) and M.L. Green (Kew).". International Botanical Congress, Cambridge (England) 1930. London: Printed under the authority of His Majesty's Stationery Office, by Wyman & sons, Ltd., Fetter Lane, London. pp. 111–199.
Lack, H. Walter (February 1975). "Type Specimens of the Linnaean Species of Picris L. (Compositae)". Taxon. 24 (1): 113–116. doi:10.2307/1219007. JSTOR1219007.
