Taxon:  Nigella damascena L.



Summary
Genus:
Nigella
Family:
Ranunculaceae
Subfamily:
Ranunculoideae
Tribe:
Nigelleae
Nomen number:
25336
Place of publication:
Sp. pl. 1:534.  1753
Verified:
05/20/1992 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
6 (1  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
  2. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  3. Arechavaleta, M. et al., coords. 2009. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
  4. Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
  5. Demilly, D. et al. 2001. Liste alphabétique des principales espèces de plantes cultivées et de mauvaises herbes. Noms latins et noms français, ed. 7 GEVES-SNES, Beaucouzé, France.
  6. Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage
  7. FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: introduced
  8. Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
  9. Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
  10. Jahandiez, E. & R. Maire. 1931-1941. Catalogue des plantes du Maroc.
  11. Jalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
  12. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
  13. Kunkel, G. 1984. Plants for human consumption
  14. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
  15. Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
  16. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
  17. Meikle, R. D. 1977-1985. Flora of Cyprus.
  18. Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
  19. Oyen, L. P. A. & Nguyen Xuan Dung, eds. 1999. Essential-oil plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 19:180-181.
  20. Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
  21. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  22. Quézel, P. & S. Santa. 1962-1963. Nouvelle flore de l'Algerie.
  23. Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
  24. Scoggan, H. J. 1978-1979. The flora of Canada, 4 vol.
  25. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1993. Flora europaea, ed. 2.
  26. Zohary, M. 1983. The genus Nigella (Ranunculaceae) - a taxonomic review. Pl. Syst. Evol. 142:97.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishjack-in-the-green  1Oyen, L. P. A. & Nguyen Xuan Dung, eds. 1999. Essential-oil plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 19:180-181.
Englishlove-in-a-mist  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Englishwild fennel  1Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Frenchnigelle de Damas  2Demilly, D. et al. 2001. Liste alphabétique des principales espèces de plantes cultivées et de mauvaises herbes. Noms latins et noms français, ed. 7 GEVES-SNES, Beaucouzé, France.
Swedishjungfrun i det gröna  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaSpainCanarias Arechavaleta, M. et al., coords. 2009. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaAlgeria  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaLibya  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaMorocco  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaTunisia  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusAzerbaijan  Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusRussian Federation-CiscaucasiaCiscaucasiaw.Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaCyprus  Meikle, R. D. 1977-1985. Flora of Cyprus.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIran  Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIraq  Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaSyria   
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaTurkey  Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
1NativeEuropeEastern EuropeUkraineKrym Jalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeAlbania  Jalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeBosnia and Herzegovina  Jalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeBulgaria  Jalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeCroatia  Jalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeGreece incl. CreteJalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItaly incl. Sardinia, SicilyJalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeMalta  Jalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeMontenegro  Jalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeNorth Macedonia  Jalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeSerbia  Jalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeSlovenia  Jalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeFrance incl. CorsicaJalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropePortugal  Jalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeSpain incl. BalearesJalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
2Cultivated    also cult. 
Native
Africa
  • MACARONESIA: Spain [Canarias]
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia
Asia-Temperate
  • WESTERN ASIA: Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey
  • CAUCASUS: Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia [Ciscaucasia (w.)], Azerbaijan
Europe
  • EASTERN EUROPE: Ukraine [Krym]
  • SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece (incl. Crete), Croatia, Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), North Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia
  • SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain (incl. Baleares), France (incl. Corsica), Portugal
Cultivated (also cult.)

Reference(s)
  1. Arechavaleta, M. et al., coords. 2009. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
  2. Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
  3. Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
  4. Jalas, J. & J. Suominen. 1972-. Atlas florae europaeae.
  5. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
  6. Meikle, R. D. 1977-1985. Flora of Cyprus.
  7. Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Environmentalornamental Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1993. Flora europaea, ed. 2.
Environmentalornamental Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=25336. Accessed 12 May 2026.