A genus of coarse herbs having small flowers in panicled cymes; figwort.

type genus of Scrophulariaceae; named for the plants' supposed ability to cure scrofula: figworts

The genus Scrophularia of the family Scrophulariaceae comprises about 200 species of herbaceous flowering plants commonly known as figworts (but this name also applies for the whole Scrophulariaceae family). Members of Scrophularia all share square stems, opposite leaves and open two-lipped flowers forming clusters at the end of their stems. The genus is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, but concentrated in Asia with only a few species in Europe and North America.