Andersonglossum is a small genus of flowering plants in the borage family (Boraginaceae), order Boraginales, comprising three species native to North America. Members of this genus are commonly known as American comfreys, wild comfreys, or hound's tongues.
The genus was established in 2015 by botanist James I. Cohen, who separated these North American species from the broader genus Cynoglossum based on morphological and molecular evidence. The three species — A. virginianum, A. boreale, and A. occidentale — collectively range across much of North America, from eastern hardwood forests to the Pacific Coast ranges. The type species, Andersonglossum virginianum, is native to the eastern United States.
Like other members of the Boraginaceae, Andersonglossum species produce the characteristic bristly or hairy leaves and small, tubular flowers typical of the borage family.
Etymology
The genus name Andersonglossum honors William Russell Anderson (1942–2013), an American botanist who served as director of the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium and received the Asa Gray Award. The genus was named by James I. Cohen, who described Anderson as "an incomparable professor, botanist, and person, who inspired me to study plant systematics." The suffix -glossum (from Greek, meaning "tongue") is shared with the former parent genus Cynoglossum and alludes to the tongue-shaped leaves characteristic of these plants.
Distribution
Andersonglossum is endemic to North America, with the three species occupying distinct regional ranges: A. boreale (northern wild comfrey) occurs in Canada and the northeastern United States; A. occidentale (western hound's tongue) is found in California and Oregon; and A. virginianum (southern wild comfrey) inhabits the eastern United States.
Taxonomy Notes
Members of Andersonglossum were formerly included in the genus Cynoglossum (family Boraginaceae). In 2015, James I. Cohen segregated these three North American species into the new genus Andersonglossum, distinguishing them from the Old World members of Cynoglossum. The type species is Andersonglossum virginianum (L.) J.I.Cohen, originally described as Cynoglossum virginianum L.
