Parthenium

{{Short description|Genus of shrubs}}

{{for-multi|the mountain of Greece|Mount Parthenium|the town of ancient Mysia|Parthenium (Mysia)}}

{{Automatic taxobox

|image = Starr 050423-6650 Parthenium hysterophorus.jpg

|image_caption = Parthenium hysterophorus

|display_parents = 3

|taxon = Parthenium

|authority = L.

|synonyms =

• Argyrochaeta Cav.
• Bolophyta Nutt.
• Echetrosis Phil.
• Hysterophorus Vaill.
• Partheniastrum Fabr.
• Villanova Ortega

|synonyms_ref =

|type_species = Parthenium hysterophoruslectotype designated by N.L. Britton & A. Brown, Ill. fl. n. U.S., ed. 2. 3: 464 (1913)

|type_species_authority = L.

}}

Parthenium is a genus of North American annuals, biennials, perennials, subshrubs, and shrubs in the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae and subfamily Asteroideae.[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/359009#page/430/mode/1up Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 2: 988] in Latin{{Tropicos|40002147|Parthenium}}

The name Parthenium is an evolution of the Ancient Greek name παρθένιον (parthenion), which referred to Tanacetum parthenium.{{cite encyclopedia |title=A Greek-English Lexicon |first1=Henry George |last1=Liddell |first2=Robert |last2=Scott |entry=παρθένιον |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703054911/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry%3Dparqe/nion |archive-date=2019-07-03 |via=the Perseus Project |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry%3Dparqe/nion |date=1940 |publisher=Clarendon Press }}{{Cite book|last=Dioscorides|first=Pedanius|url=https://archive.org/details/Dioscorides_Materia_Medica|title=Materia Medica|publisher=Ibidis Press|year=2000|location=Johannesburg, South Africa|pages=556}}{{Cite book|last=Dioscorides|first=Pedanius|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JwAUAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA582|title=De Materia Medica|year=1829|editor-last=Sprengel|editor-first=Curtius|location=Leipzig|pages=484}} The name is possibly derived from the Greek word παρθένος (parthenos) which means "virgin".{{eFloras|1|124104|Parthenium |first=John L. |last=Strother |access-date=2011-08-09}}

Members of the genus are commonly known as feverfew.{{ITIS |id=38160 |taxon=Parthenium |accessdate=2011-08-09}} Notable species include guayule (P. argentatum) which has been used as a rubber substitute, especially during the Second World War;[http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1993/v2-338.html Ray, D.T. 1993. Guayule: A source of natural rubber. p. 338-343. In: J. Janick and J.E. Simon (eds.), New crops. Wiley, New York. ] and also P. hysterophorus, a serious invasive species in the Old World.{{cite web |url=http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?fr=1&si=153&sts |title=Parthenium hysterophorus (herb) |work=Global Invasive Species Database |publisher=Invasive Species Specialist Group |date=2010-10-04 |access-date=2011-08-09 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060918/http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?fr=1&si=153&sts |url-status=dead }}