Nigella

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Ordo: Ranunculales

Familia: Ranunculaceae
Subfamilia: Ranunculoideae
Tribus: Nigelleae
Genus: Nigella
Sectiones: N. sect. Erobatos – N. sect. Nigella – N. sect. Nigellastrum
Species: N. arvensis – N. bucharica – N. carpatha – N. ciliaris – N. damascena – N. degenii – N. deserti – N. doerfleri – N. elata – N. fumariifolia – N. gallica – N. glandulifera – N. hispanica – N. icarica – N. koyuncui – N. lancifolia – N. orientalis – N. oxypetala – N. papillosa – N. sativa – N. segetalis – N. stellaris – N. stricta – N. turcica
Source(s) of checklist:

Hassler, M. 2020. Nigella. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2020. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Oct 29. Reference page.

Name

Nigella L., Sp. Pl. 1: 534 (1753).

Type species: Nigella arvensis Carl von Linné (1753)

Synonyms

Erobathos Spach, Hist. Vég. Phan. vol. 7, 301. (1839)
Erobatos Rchb., Handb. Nat. Pfl.-Syst. 277. (1837)
Melanthium Medik., Philos. Bot. vol. 1, 96. (1789), nom. illeg. non L. (1753)
Nigellastrum Heist. ex Fabr., Enum. (ed. 2). [Fabr.]. 273. (1763)
Nigellastrum Moench, Methodus, 311. (1794) nom. superfl.

References

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus I: 534. Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Nigella in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 February 20. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Nigella. Published online. Accessed: 20 February 2019.
The Plant List 2013. Nigella in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 February 20.
Tropicos.org 2019. Nigella. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 February 20.
Hassler, M. 2020. Nigella. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2020. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Oct 29. Reference page.

Vernacular names

العربية: حبة البركة
བོད་ཡིག: ཟི་ར་ནག་པོ།
Ελληνικά: Μελάνθιον
English: Devil-in-a-bush
suomi: Neidot
हिन्दी: कलौंजी
magyar: Kandilla, Katicavirág
日本語: クロタネソウ属
ქართული: სოინჯი
lietuvių: Juodgrūdė
Nederlands: Nigelle
polski: Czarnuszka
русский: Чернушка
svenska: Nigellasläktet
Türkçe: Çörek otu
українська: Чорнушка
中文: 黑种草属

Nigella is a genus of 18 species[1] of annual plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native to Southern Europe, North Africa, South Asia, Southwest Asia and Middle East. Common names applied to members of this genus are nigella, devil-in-a-bush or love-in-a-mist.

The species grow to 20–90 cm (8–35 in) tall, with finely divided leaves; the leaf segments are narrowly linear to threadlike. The flowers are white, yellow, pink, pale blue or pale purple, with five to ten petals. The fruit is a capsule composed of several united follicles, each containing numerous seeds; in some species (e.g. Nigella damascena), the capsule is large and inflated.

Uses
Nigella seeds
Culinary
Further information: Nigella sativa

The seeds of Nigella sativa, known as kalonji, black cumin, black caraway, black coriander, roman coriander, black onion seed, onion seed, charnushka, git (in historical Roman cuisine),[2] or just nigella, are used as a spice and a condiment in South Asian cuisine, Ethiopian cuisine, Middle Eastern and Polish cuisines.[3]
Garden flowers
Nigella in full bloom
Blue Nigella

Several species are grown as ornamental plants in gardens. Nigella damascena has been grown in English cottage gardens since the Elizabethan era, commonly called love-in-a-mist. Nigella hispanica is a taller species with larger blue flowers, red stamens, and grey leaves. Nigella seeds are self-sowing if the seed pods are left to mature.

The dried seed capsules can also be used in flower arrangements.
Other

In traditional medicine, the seeds are used as a carminative and stimulant to ease bowel and indigestion problems, and are given to treat intestinal worms, nerve defects, to reduce flatulence, and induce sweating. Dried pods are sniffed to restore a lost sense of smell. It is also used to repel some insects, much like mothballs.
Nigella orientalis, Muséum de Toulouse
References

"Nigella". The Plant List. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
{{cite web |url=https://tavolamediterranea.com/2019/08/16/2019-08-09-bread-for-the-gods-taralli/ title=Baking with the Romans--The Key Ingredient: Git |last=Monaco |first=Farrel
Peter, K.V. (2004). "Nigella". Handbook of herbs and spices. 2. Boca Raton: CRC Press. ISBN 1-85573-721-3. OCLC 56811946.