Withania

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

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

Familia: Solanaceae
Subfamilia: Solanoideae
Tribus: Physaleae
Subtribus: Withaninae
Genus: Withania
Species: W. adpressa – W. adunensis – W. aristata – W. begoniifolia – W. chamaesarachoides – W. coagulans – W. echinata – W. frutescens – W. grisea – W. heterophylla – W. japonica – W. kweichouensis – W. qaraitica – W. reichenbachii – W. riebeckii – W. sinensis – W. sinica – W. somnifera – W. sphaerocarpa – W. yunnanensis
Name

Withania Pauquy, Belladone. 14. (1825) nom. et typ. cons.

Type species: Withania frutescens (L.) Pauquy.
Proposed conserved type species: Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal. (Deanna & Barboza, 2020)

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Archiphysalis Kuang
Hypnoticum Rodati ex Meisn.
Mellissia Hook.f.
Opsago Raf.
Physaliastrum Makino
Physaloides Moench
Puneeria Stocks
Scleromphalos Griff.

References

Pauquy, C.L.C. 1825. De la Belladone . . . Paris 14.
Deanna, R. & Barboza, G.E. 2020. (2733) Proposal to change the conserved type of Withania, nom cons. (Solanaceae). Taxon 69(1): 203–204. PDF
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Withania in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Nov. 1. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Withania. Published online. Accessed: Nov. 1 2020.
Tropicos.org 2020. Withania. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Nov. 1.

Vernacular names
suomi: Koisiot

Withania is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae, with 23 species that are native to parts of North Africa, western Asia, south Asia, southern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Canary Islands.[1][2]

Two of the species, W. somnifera (ashwagandha) and W. coagulans (ashutosh booti), are economically significant, and are cultivated in several regions for their medicinal uses.[1]
Etymology

Withania is thought to have been named in honour of Henry Witham, a British geologist and writer on fossil botany beginning in 1830.[3]
Selected species

Withania adpressa Cors.
Withania adunensis Vierh.
Withania begoniifolia (Roxb.) Hunz. & Barboza
Withania chevalieri A.E.Goncalves
Withania coagulans (Stocks) Dunal — Ashutosh booti, Indian rennet, panirband, vegetable rennet
Withania frutescens (L.) Pauquy
Withania japonica (Franch. & Sav.) Hunz.
Withania qaraitica A.G.Mill. & Biagi
Withania reichenbachii Bitter
Withania riebeckii Schweinf.
Withania sphaerocarpa Hepper & Boulos
Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal — ashwaganda, Indian ginseng, winter cherry[4][5][6]

References

Mirjalili, M. H.; Moyano, E.; Bonfill, M.; Cusido, R. M.; Palazón, J. (2009). "Steroidal Lactones from Withania somnifera, an Ancient Plant for Novel Medicine". Molecules. 14 (7): 2373–2393. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.368.967. doi:10.3390/molecules14072373. PMC 6255378. PMID 19633611.
"Withania somnifera". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2015-02-03.
"Withania". Electronic Flora of South Australia. Government of South Australia, Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
"Withania coagulans (Stocks) Dunal". Flora of Pakistan. eFlora.org.
"Withania coagulans". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 19 January 2018.
"The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved February 3, 2015.