Λιμὸς μέγιστον ἄλγος ἀνθρώποις ἔφυ → Inter dolores maximum humanos fames → Der Hunger ist den Menschen allergrößter Schmerz
The plant was described by James Edward Smith in Flora Graeca. The species is named after the ancient Greek physician and botanist Pedanius Dioscorides.
The plant is native to forests in the east of the Mediterranean in southern Turkey, Cyprus, Greece and the Middle East.
