Sideritis

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Lamiales

Familia: Lamiaceae
Subfamilia: Lamioideae
Tribus: Stachydeae
Genus: Sideritis
Species

S. ajpetriana – S. akmanii – S. albiflora – S. amagroi – S. amasiaca – S. antiatlantica – S. arborescens – S. arguta – S. argyrea – S. armeniaca – S. atrinervia – S. barbellata – S. bilgeriana – S. boissieriana – S. bolleana – S. bourgeana – S. brevibracteata – S. brevicaulis – S. brevidens – S. bubanii – S. caesarea – S. calduchii – S. canariensis – S. candicans – S. carbonellii – S. catillaris – S. chamaedryfolia – S. cilicica – S. cirujanoi – S. clandestina – S. condensata – S. congesta – S. cossoniana – S. cretica – S. cuatrecasasii – S. cypria – S. cystosiphon – S. dasygnaphala – S. dendrochahorra – S. dianica – S. dichotoma – S. discolor – S. dubia – S. endressii – S. eriocephala – S. erythrantha – S. euboea – S. euxina – S. ferrensis – S. flaviflora – S. fruticulosa – S. galatica – S. germanicopolitana – S. glacialis – S. glauca – S. gomeraea – S. gossypina – S. grandiflora – S. guayedrae – S. gulendamii – S. guyoniana – S. hirsuta – S. hispida – S. hololeuca – S. huber-morathii – S. hyssopifolia – S. ibanezii – S. ibrahimii – S. ilicifolia – S. imbricata – S. incana – S. infernalis – S. italica – S. jahandiezii – S. kuegleriana – S. lacaitae – S. lanata – S. lasiantha – S. laxispicata – S. leptoclada – S. leucantha – S. libanotica – S. lotsyi – S. lurida – S. lycia – S. macrostachyos – S. maireana – S. marianica – S. marminorensis – S. marmorea – S. maura – S. mezgouti – S. molinae – S. montana – S. montserratiana – S. nervosa – S. niveotomentosa – S. nutans – S. ochroleuca – S. oroteneriffae – S. ortonedae – S. osteoxylla – S. ovata – S. ozturkii – S. pauli – S. perfoliata – S. phlomoides – S. phrygia – S. pisidica – S. pullulans – S. pumila – S. pungens – S. pusilla – S. raeseri – S. reverchonii – S. romana – S. rubriflora – S. sauvageana – S. scardica – S. serrata – S. serratifolia – S. sierrarafolsiana – S. sipylea – S. soluta – S. spinulosa – S. stachydioides – S. stricta – S. subatlantica – S. sventenii – S. syriaca – S. taurica – S. tmolea – S. tragoriganum – S. trojana – S. tugiensis – S. velayosiana – S. villosa – S. viridifolia – S. vulcanica – S. vuralii
Nothospecies

S. × alcarazii – S. × alfraedi – S. × angustifolia – S. × antonii-josephii – S. × aragonensis – S. × arizagana – S. × baluei – S. × bornmuelleri – S. × cadevallii – S. × carrissoana – S. × celtiberica – S. × difficilis – S. × fernandezii – S. × gaditana – S. × garrigae – S. × ginesii – S. × gomeznavarroi – S. × grossii – S. × guaxarae – S. × iberica – S. × kerguelenii – S. × lainzii – S. × liantei – S. × linearifolia – S. × llenasii – S. × loscosiana – S. × marcelii – S. × masferreri – S. × montserratii – S. × paradoxa – S. × paui – S. × pertegasii – S. × petriludovici – S. × puiggariana – S. × rodriguezii – S. × saforensis – S. × sagredoi – S. × sanmiguelii – S. × tobarrensis – S. × valentina – S. × varoi – S. × velezana
Name

Sideritis L., Sp. Pl.: 574 (1753); Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 250 (1754).

Lectotype species: Sideritis hirsuta L., Sp. Pl. 2: 575 (1753), designated by M.L. Green, Prop. Brit. Bot. 164. Aug 1929.

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Cunila Mill., Gard. Dict. Abr. ed. 4 (1754).
Navicularia Heist. ex Fabr., Enum.: 48 (1759).
Fracastora Adans., Fam. Pl. 2: 505 (1763).
Leria Adans., Fam. Pl. 2: 190 (1763).
Burgsdorfia Moench, Methodus: 392 (1794).
Hesiodia Moench, Methodus: 391 (1794).
Marrubiastrum Tourn. ex Moench, Methodus: 391 (1794).
Empedoclia Raf., Caratt. Nuov. Gen.: 78 (1810).
Leucophae Webb & Berthel., Hist. Nat. Iles Canaries 3: 99 (1845).

References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus II: 574. Reference page.
Linnaeus, C. 1754. Genera Plantarum, ed. 5: 250. Reference page.

Additional references

Hitchcock, A.S. & Green, M.L. 1929. Standard species of Linnaean genera of Phanerogamae (1753–1754). pp. 111–195 in International Botanical Congress. Cambridge (England), 1930. Nomenclature. Proposals by British Botanists. His Majesty's Stationery Office, London. Biblioteca Digital Reference page.
Juzepczuk, S.V. 1954. Sideritis. Pp. 253-273 in Schischkin, B.K. & Juzepczuk, S.V. (eds.), Flora URSS (Flora Unionis Rerumpublicarum Sovieticarum Socaialisticarum) XX. [Labiatae]. xvii + 550 pp., Academia Scientiarum URSS, Mosqua, Leningrad. DJVU BHL (English translation)Reference page.
Rejdali, M. 1988. Two new species of Sideritis (Labiatae) from Morocco. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 96(4): 345–349. DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.1988.tb00689.xPaywall Reference page.
Rivera Núñez, D., Obón, C., De la Torre, A. & Barber, A. 1991. Sideritis dianica, a New Species of Lamiaceae from Spain. Willdenowia 21(1/2): 73–75. JSTORPaywall Reference page.
Obón, C. & Rivera Núñez, D. 1994. A Taxonomic Revision of the Section Sideritis (Genus Sideritis) (Labiatae). Phanerogamarum Monographiae 21: 1–640. ISBN 3-443-78003-2 Reference page.
Peris, J.B., Stübing, G., Olivares, A. & Martín, J. 1994. Sideritis boissierana, especie nueva de Sierra Nevada. Fontqueria 39: 59–63. Reference page.
Romo, A.M., Stübing, G., Roselló Gimeno, R. & Peris, J.B. 1995. Nuevo endemismo marroquí: Sideritis cirujanoi, sp. nov. Fontqueria 42: 191–194. PDF: Reference page.
Duman, H., Aytaç, Z., Ekici, M., Karavelioğulları, F.A., Dönmez, A.A. & Duran, A. 1995. Three new species (Labiatae) from Turkey. Flora Mediterranea 5: 221–228. PDF ResearchGate Reference page.
Peris, J.B., Stübing, G., Roselló Gimeno, R. & Romo, A.M. 1995. Sideritis velayosiana, nueva especie para la flora de Marruecos. Anales del Jardin Botánico de Madrid 53(1): 131–133. PDF: Reference page.
Duman, H., Başer, K.H.C. & Aytaç, Z. 1998. Two New Species and A New Hybrid from Anatolia. Turkish Journal of Botany 22(1): 51–58. PDF. Reference page.
Aytaç, Z. & Aksoy, A. 2000. A new Sideritis species (Labiatae) from Turkey. Flora Mediterranea 10: 181–184. PDF Reference page.
Ríos, S., Crespo, M.B. & Rivera Núñez, D. 2001. The west Mediterranean orophilous taxa of Sideritis L. (Lamiaceae): a new species of subsection Hyssopifolia from south-eastern Spain. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 136(2): 247–254. DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2001.tb00570.x Open access Reference page.
Marrero Rodríguez, Á. & Navarro, B. 2003. Sideritis amagroi sp. nov. (Lamiaceae) una nueva especie para Gran Canaria (Islas Canarias). Botanica Macaronesica 24:57-66. PDF: Reference page.
Marrero Rodríguez, Á. 2008. Sideritis guayedrae sp. nov. (Lamiaceae), una nueva especie para Gran Canaria (Islas Canarias). Botánica Macaronésica 27: 3–16. Memória Digital de Canarias Reference page.

Links

Tropicos.org 2020. Sideritis. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 April 8.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Sideritis in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 April 8. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Sideritis. Published online. Accessed: 8 April 2020.
Farr, E.R. & Zijlstra, G. (eds.) 1996 onwards. Sideritis in Index Nominum Genericorum (Plantarum). Accessed: 2020 Sep 23.

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Gliedkräuter
Ελληνικά: τσάι του βουνού
English: Ironwort, Mountain Tea, Shepherd's Tea
suomi: Raudakit
polski: Gojnik

Sideritis, also known as ironwort,[1] mountain tea, and shepherd's tea, is a genus of flowering plants well known for their use as herbal medicine, commonly as an herbal tea. They are abundant in Mediterranean regions, the Balkans, the Iberian Peninsula and Macaronesia, but can also be found in Central Europe and temperate Asia.[2][3][4][5]

History and etymology

In Greek, "sideritis" (Gr: σιδηρίτις) can be literally translated as "he who is made of iron". The plant was known to ancient Greeks, specifically Pedanius Dioscorides and Theophrastus.[6] Although Dioscorides describes three species, only one (probably S. scordioides) is thought to belong to Sideritis. In ancient times "sideritis" was a generic reference for plants capable of healing wounds caused by iron weapons during battles. However, others hold that the name stems from the shape of the sepal, which resembles the tip of a spear.[3]
Taxonomy
Sideritis scardica

In 2002, molecular phylogenetic research found Sideritis and five other genera to be embedded in Stachys.[7] Further studies will be needed before Stachys, Sideritis, and their closest relatives can be revised.

Some schemes recognize and categorize up to 319 distinct species, subspecies, ecotypes, forms or cultivars, including:[8][3]

Sideritis barbellata Mend.-Heu. - endemic to the Canary Island of La Palma.
Sideritis candicans Aiton - endemic to Madeira, Bugio Island and Porto Santo Island.
Sideritis cypria Post - endemic to Cyprus
Sideritis euboea Heldr - found in the island of Euboea
Sideritis hyssopifolia L. - mountains of the Iberian Peninsula
Sideritis lanata L.
Sideritis leucantha Cav.
Sideritis montana L.
Sideritis purpurea Talb. - found in western Greece, the Ionian Islands and Crete
Sideritis raiseri Boiss & Heldr - found in Mount Tomori, Albania
Sideritis remota Urv.
Sideritis romana L.
Sideritis scardica Gris. - native to the Sharr Mountains extending from Kosovo and North Macedonia to Albania
Sideritis syriaca L., S. cretica Boiss, S. boissieri Magn. - found in Syria, Turkey and Crete and collectively known as Malotira (Μαλοτήρα)
Sideritis theezans Boiss & Heldr - found in the Peloponnese

Botanists have encountered difficulties in naming and classifying the varieties of Sideritis due to their subtle differences. One particularly confusing case is that of S. angustifolia Lagasca and S. tragoriganum Lagasca.[9]
Botany

The genus is composed of short (8–50 cm), xerophytic subshrubs or herbs, annual or perennial, that grow at high altitudes (usually over 1000 m) with little or no soil, often on the surface of rocks.[2][5][10][11]

It is pubescent, either villous or coated by a fine, woolly layer of microscopic intertwined hairs.

Sideritis inflorescence is verticillaster.[2][3]

Uses
Ironwort herbal tea.

In Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, and Turkey, Sideritis scardica, Sideritis clandestina, Sideritis syriaca, Sideritis perfoliata and various other species from the section Empedoclia are used as herbs either for the preparation of herbal teas, or for their aromatic properties in local cuisines. The herbal tea is commonly prepared by decoction, by boiling the stems, leaves and flowers in a pot of water, then often serving with honey and lemon.

Some plants in the genus have a history of use in traditional herbal medicine.[12] Research into the potential effects has taken place in universities in the Netherlands and in the southern Balkans where the plant is indigenous.[13]

Chemical constituents include diterpenoids and flavonoids.[14]
Cultivation

Sideritis raeseri is the most commonly cultivated Sideritis in Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and North Macedonia, where advanced hybrids also exist.[5] Planting is recommended during two periods (October–November or February–March in the Northern hemisphere) and gathering in July, when in full bloom. The plant is typically dried before usage.[15]
References

USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Sideritis". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
"Sideritis (Genus)". Zipcodezoo.com. 2013-10-04. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
"Τσάϊτουβουνού: ανασκόπησητηςδιεθνούςβιβλιογραφίαςτουγένουςSideritis" (PDF). www.iama.gr. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
Barber, Janet C. (2000). "Evolution of Endemic Sideritis (Lamiaceae) in Macaronesia: Insights from a Chloroplast DNA Restriction Site Analysis". Systematic Botany. 25 (4): 633–647. doi:10.2307/2666725. JSTOR 2666725. S2CID 86223380.
"Greek Mountain Tea - Tsai tou Vounou - Shepherd's Tea". Greekfood.about.com. 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
"οικολογια ασπροποταμος". Aspropotamos.org. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
Lindqvist, C.; Albert, V. A. (2002). "Origin of the Hawaiian endemic mints within North American Stachys (Lamiaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 89 (10): 1709–24. doi:10.3732/ajb.89.10.1709. PMID 21665597.
such as Wikispecies, ITIS and ZipcodeZoo Archived 2013-11-02 at the Wayback Machine
Figuerola, R.; Stübing, G.; Peris, J. B. (1991). "Nomenclature and Typification of Sideritis angustifolia and S. tragoriganum (Lamiaceae, Spain)". Taxon. 40 (1): 123–9. doi:10.2307/1222936. JSTOR 1222936.
"τσάι του βουνου γενικές πληροφορίες". Mylona.gr. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
Stephen Mifsud (2002-08-23). "Wild Plants of Malta & Gozo - Plant: Sideritis romana (Common Siderits)". Maltawildplants.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
Tadić, Vanja; Jeremic, Ivica; Dobric, Silva; Isakovic, Aleksandra; Markovic, Ivanka; Trajkovic, Vladimir; Bojovic, Dragica; Arsic, Ivana (2012). "Anti-inflammatory, Gastroprotective, and Cytotoxic Effects of Sideritis scardica Extracts". Planta Medica. 78 (5): 415–427. doi:10.1055/s-0031-1298172. PMID 22274814.
González-Burgos, E.; Carretero, M.E.; Gómez-Serranillos, M.P. (2011). "Sideritis spp.: Uses, chemical composition and pharmacological activities—A review". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 135 (2): 209–25. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2011.03.014. PMID 21420484.
Villar, A; Recio, MC; Ríos, JL; Zafra-Polo, MC (1986). "Antimicrobial activity of essential oils from Sideritis species". Die Pharmazie. 41 (4): 298–9. PMID 3523549.
"ΚΑΛΛΙΕΡΓΕΙΑ, ΑΥΤΟΦΥΗΕΙ∆ΗΚΑΙΒΕΛΤΙΩΣΗΣΤΟΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΤΣΑΙΤΟΥΒΟΥΝΟΥ(Sideritis L.)" (PDF). www.iama.gr. Retrieved 2021-04-03.