Thesium
Thesium, commonly known as bastard toadflax, is a unique genus of hemiparasitic herbs found across diverse global habitats. These plants possess specialized roots that extract nutrients from host species. While often overlooked, members of this genus play vital roles in their ecosystems, contributing to soil health and biodiversity.
- Scientific name: Thesium
- Family: Santalaceae
- Native range: Europe
Taxonomical Classification
This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, specifically within the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. It is further classified under the order Santalales and the family Santalaceae. Finally, the medicinal species is identified by the genus Thesium.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Santalales | WCVP |
| Family | Santalaceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Thesium | WCVP |
Common Names
This plant, belonging to the genus Thesium, is known by various regional names across different languages. In Chinese, it is referred to as 百蕊草属 (zh-hans), 百蕊草屬 (zh-hant), and 百蕊草屬 (zh-hk). In Poland, the common name used is Leniec (pl), while in Russia, it is known as Ленец (ru).| Language | Common Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| zh-hans | 百蕊草属 | Wikidata |
| zh-hant | 百蕊草屬 | Wikidata |
| zh-hk | 百蕊草屬 | Wikidata |
| pl | Leniec | Wikidata |
| ru | Ленец | Wikidata |
| fi | hämähäkinruohot | Wikidata |
| et | Linalehik | Wikidata |
| de | Leinblatt | Wikidata |
| da | Nålebæger | Wikidata |
| ar | حب الكريش | Wikidata |
Distribution
This plant exhibits a broad geographical distribution across several regions of the European continent. In Northern Europe, its presence is documented in Denmark, Great Britain, and Sweden. Moving toward the central part of the continent, it can also be found within Middle Europe. Specifically, the species is known to inhabit the landscapes of both Austria and Belgium. Consequently, these locations represent the primary areas where the medicinal plant is naturally distributed.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Europe | Denmark | WCVP |
| Northern Europe | Great Britain | WCVP |
| Northern Europe | Sweden | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Austria | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Belgium | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Czechia-Slovakia | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Germany | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Hungary | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Netherlands | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Poland | WCVP |
Chemicals
Thesium has 2 reported phytochemicals identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include fatty acids, flavonoids.
- Total chemicals
- 2
- Scientific sources
- 2
Most Reported Compounds
| Compound | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| fatty acids | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| flavonoids | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |