European bluestar

Description

Amsonia orientalis, the European bluestar, is a species of flower in the dogbane family. It is found in European Turkey, and may be extirpated from Greece. Other historical populations appear to be lost. It is threatened by habitat loss, collection for ornamental use, and over-harvesting for research. It contains many glycosides and glycoalkaloids, and also has broad antimicrobial activity. Amsonia orientalis is the only European member of its genus. One other species (Amsonia elliptica (Thunb.) Roem. & Schult.) is found in East Asia, while all the others are native to North America. Amsonia is a genus of flowering plants in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1788. It is native primarily to North America with one species in East Asia and another in the eastern Mediterranean. It was named in honor of the American physician John Amson. Members of the genus are commonly known as bluestars.