Morina
Morina
a genus of perennial herbaceous plants of the family Dipsacaceae (sometimes classified as a special family—Morinaceae). The leaves are verticillate, lobed or pinnatipartite, and spinose-toothed. The flowers, which are bisexual and irregular, are gathered into false whorls that form a spikelike inflorescence. The calyx is two-lobed, and the corolla is two-lipped. The fruit is an achene. There are approximately 17 species of Morina, distributed from the Balkan Peninsula to the Himalayas and China. In the USSR there are four species, growing on rocky slopes in alpine and subalpine zones in Middle Asia. The whorl-flower (Morina longifolia) and several other species are ornamentals.