Withania | |
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Withania somnifera | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Asterids |
Order: | Solanales |
Family: | Solanaceae |
Subfamily: | Solanoideae |
Tribe: | Physaleae |
Subtribe: | Withaninae |
Genus: |
Withania Pauquy, 1825 |
Species | |
See text |
|
Synonyms | |
Alicabon Raf. |
See text
Alicabon Raf.
Archiphysalis Kuang
Manoelia Bowdich
Opsago Raf.
Physaliastrum Makino
Physaloides Moench
Puneeria Stocks
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.
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.
Although the author gave no explanation of the name,Withania is thought to have been named in honour of Henry Witham, a British geologist and writer on fossil botany beginning in 1830.