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ageratum

{{Short description|Genus of plants}}

{{For|a virus of the same name|Ageratum yellow vein virus}}

{{more citations needed|date=December 2023}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Ageratum corymbosum (Asteraceae) - Cielitos.jpg

| image_caption = Ageratum corymbosum

| display_parents = 2

| taxon = Ageratum

| authority = L. 1753 not Mill. 1754 (Plantaginaceae){{Cite web|url=https://www.tropicos.org/NameSearch.aspx?name=Ageratum&commonname=|title=Tropicos|website=www.tropicos.org|access-date=2024-01-03|archive-date=2023-05-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530052928/https://www.tropicos.org/NameSearch.aspx?name=Ageratum&commonname=|url-status=live}}

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Image:Ageratum houstonianum0.jpg

Ageratum ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|dʒ|ɛr|ə|t|ə|m}})Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607 (whiteweed in the US) is a genus of 40{{eFloras|1|100805|Ageratum |first=Guy L. |last=Nesom |volume=21}} to 60 tropical and warm temperate flowering annuals and perennials from the family Asteraceae, tribe Eupatorieae. Most species are native to Central America and Mexico but four are native to the United States.

They form tussocks or small hills. They grow to a height of {{convert|30|in|cm}}.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}} The opposite leaves are cordate or oval, hairy or tomentose. The margins are slightly toothed or serrate. The leaves form compact clusters.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

The fluffy flowers are lavender-blue, pink, lilac, or white, and spread in small compound umbels. They give small, dry fruits.

Cultivation

Ageratums are grown for their flowers, especially A. houstonianum.

Most common ageratums, "Hawaii" for example, are a short {{convert|6|-|8|in|cm}} when full grown. Tall ageratum are also available in seed catalogues. They are about {{convert|18|in|cm}} in height with blue flowers.{{Cite web|url=https://husfarm.com/product/ageratum|title=Ageratum price 2022 – current wholesale market global prices|website=Husfarm Agriculture platform|access-date=2023-07-05|archive-date=2023-07-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705083121/https://husfarm.com/product/ageratum|url-status=live}}{{failed verification|date=December 2023}} There is also a medium-height snowcapped variety, white top on blue flowers. The blues are most popular and common, but colors also include violet, pink and white. Their size and color makes ageratums good candidates for rock gardens, bedding, and containers. They grow well in sun or partial shade, from early summer to first frost. They are quite easy to grow, producing a profusion of fluffy flowers all season long.

Toxicity

Several species of Ageratum are toxic, containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Ageratum houstonianum and Ageratum conyzoides cause liver lesions and are tumorigenic.Acamovic, T., Stewart, C.S., Pennycott, T.W.,"Poisonous Plants and Related Toxins", 2004Noa, M., Sanchez, L.M., Durand, R., "Ageratum houstonianum toxicosis in Zebu cattle", Veterinary and human toxicology, 2004, vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 193–195.Sani, Y., Bahri, S., "Pathological changes in liver due to the toxicity of Ageratum conyzoides", Penyakit Hewan (Indonesia), 1994, v. 26(48) pp. 64–70 [http://www.fao.org/agris/search/display.do?f=./1997/v2304/ID9600846.xml;ID9600846]{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite journal |last1=Fu |first1=P.P. |last2=Yang |first2=Y.-C. |last3=Xia |first3=Q. |last4=Chou |first4=M.W. |last5=Cui |first5=Y.Y. |last6=Lin |first6=G. |title=Pyrrolizidine alkaloids – tumorigenic components in Chinese herbal medicines and dietary supplements |journal=Journal of Food and Drug Analysis |date=2020 |volume=10 |issue=4 |page=8 |doi=10.38212/2224-6614.2743 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265873732 |doi-access=free }}

Weed risk

Ageratum conyzoides and Ageratum houstonianum are prone to becoming rampant environmental weeds when grown outside of their natural range.{{Cite web |url=http://www.hear.org/gcw/species/ageratum_conyzoides/ |title=Global Compendium of Weeds, Ageratum conyzoides (Asteraceae) |access-date=2009-06-21 |archive-date=2020-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224185757/http://www.hear.org/gcw/species/ageratum_conyzoides/ |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.hear.org/gcw/species/ageratum_houstonianum/ |title=Global Compendium of Weeds, Ageratum houstonianum (Asteraceae) |access-date=2009-06-22 |archive-date=2023-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216143311/http://www.hear.org/gcw/species/ageratum_houstonianum/ |url-status=live }}

Species

{{As of|2020|July}}, Plants of the World online has 40 accepted species:{{citation

|url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30004082-2

|title=Kew Science Plants of the World Online

|accessdate=15 July 2020

|archive-date=25 November 2022

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125235447/https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30004082-2

|url-status=live

}}

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Selected synonyms include:

Segregate genera

The genus Paneroa consists of one species, Paneroa stachyofolia, native to Oaxaca, which was first described in Ageratum but which seems to be more closely related to Conoclinium and Fleischmannia.{{cite journal | doi = 10.3417/2007173 | title = Paneroa, A New Genus of Eupatorieae (Asteraceae) from Mexico | year = 2008 | author = Schilling, Edward E. | journal = Novon: A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature | volume = 18 | issue = 4 | pages = 520–523 | s2cid = 85729667 | url = https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/58019 | access-date = 2023-01-21 | archive-date = 2023-11-08 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231108142313/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/58019 | url-status = live }}

References

{{Reflist|2}}

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Category:Asteraceae genera

Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus