Leuzea

Leuzea is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe and Asia. The genus comprises numerous species of herbaceous perennials and small shrubs that typically form rosettes of large leaves at the base and produce tall flowering stalks bearing densely arranged heads with purple to pink florets. Plants are adapted to temperate climates and occupy meadows, steppe, forest margins and rocky slopes, from lowlands to mountain elevations. The taxonomy of Leuzea has been unstable; in some classifications several species formerly placed in Rhaponticum have been transferred to Leuzea, and vice versa, resulting in synonyms such as Rhaponticum carthamoides for Leuzea carthamoides.

Leuzea carthamoides, commonly known as maral root, is the best-known species and has a history of traditional and modern use as an adaptogenic and stimulant, especially in Russia and neighboring regions. Extracts of this species contain phytoecdysteroids, notably 20-hydroxyecdysone, and have been studied for potential effects on physical performance and metabolism; however results are mixed and not conclusive.

Other species are grown ornamentally for their showy flower heads; the genus is sometimes cultivated in temperate gardens for landscaping.