| Asteraceae |
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Carduus pycnocephalus L. subsp. breviphyllarius DAVIS |
 Carduus pycnocephalus L. subsp. breviphyllarius DAVIS |
 Carduus pycnocephalus L. subsp. breviphyllarius DAVIS |
Carduus L. |
| C. pycnocephalus L., Sp. Pl. ed. 2:1151 (1763). Arènes in Not. Syst. (Paris) 15:390-410(1959). Annual, 5-75 cm, very variable. Stem simple to sparsely paniculate above, undulate-winged with triangular, spinose and spinulose lobes. Cauline leaves pinnatilobed to pinnatipartite, lobes separated by U-shaped sinuses and usually 2-4-fid into broadly triangular lobules, weakly hairy above, canescent-tomentose beneath. Capitula clustered (2-5 together, subsessile, rarely solitary) at top of spinulose stems, or borne on naked peduncles up to 4 cm (late flowering specimens often have numerous sessile lateral capitula). Involucre oblong, 11-20 mm long, tomentose-arachnoid to glabrescent; phyllaries regularly imbricate, 30-45, adpressed to ± recurved, green or purplish, contracted or not in distal part, nerve long and prominent to short and obscure; inner subscarious, longer than median. Corollas actinomorphic, purple to pink, erect, slightly longer than involucre, lobes 4-5(-6) mm. Fl. 4-6. Although Kazmi (op. cit. 444, 449) recognizes two variable species, C. pycno-cephalus L. and C. arabicus Jacq. ex Murray (the latter including C. cinereus Bieb. and C. marmoratus Boiss. & Heldr,), the amount of morphological overlap between them makes this an impracticable solution. C. arabicus (for which C. australis L. fil. provides an earlier and neglected binomial) is therefore included here in C. pycnocephalus, and 5 subspecies recognized within the latter; these show varying degrees of intergradation. The whole complex shows strong weedy tendencies. 1. Median phyllaries strongly 1-nerved in distal ½-¾, contracted into a lanceolate prolongation about as long as proximal part; phyllaries 35-45, not purplish distally; capitula mostly clustered together on branch tips, sessile or sometimes shortly pedunculate 2. Involucre 17-20 mm long, glabrescent or sparsely arachnoid; corollas 13-16 mm; leaf spines 2-10 mm, often stout subsp. pycnocephalus 2. Involucre 12-16 mm long, arachnoid-tomentose; corollas 11-13 mm; leaf spines l-3(-5) mm, weaker subsp. albidus 1. Median phyllaries ovate-oblong to oblong-lancéolate, obtuse to very acute but not contracted distally, nerve developed only in distal 1/6-1/2; phyllaries 30-45, at least innermost usually purplish distally; capitula either clustered and subsessile, or pedunculate 3. Phyllaries 35-45, median nerved only in distal 1/3-1/2; leaf spines 2-10(-20) mm, stout subsp. arabicus 3. Phyllaries 30-35, median nerved only in distal 1/6-1/3; leaf spines l-2(-3) mm, more slender 4.Capitula usually distinctly pedunculate; median phyllaries ovate-lanceolate, acute, nerved in distal 1/3, mucro c. 1 mm; leaves usually simply pinnatilobed with dentate lobes subsp. cinereus 4.Capitula mostly subsessile and clustered on branch tips; median phyllaries ovate-oblong, ± obtuse, with a weak nerve developed only in distal 1/6, mucro c. 0.3 mm; leaves pinnatifid with broad lobulate lobes subsp. breviphyllarius subsp. breviphyllarius Davis in Notes R.B.G. Edinb. 33:412 (1975). Figure 17, p. 377. Map 47, p. 433. Fl. 4-6. Disturbed steppe, ruins, orchards, 300-1700 m. Type: Turkey C8 Mardin: 34 km from Midyat to Idil, 900 m, among ruins, Davis 42872 (holo. E!). S. & E. (southern) Anatolia. B9 Bitlis: 3 km from Ahlat, iii 1967, J.G.Rossi C6 Hatay: above Iskenderun, 300 m, D. 26989! Gaziantep: Dülükbaba, c. 7 km N. of Gaziantep, 1100 m, D. 28075! Urfa: Birecik, Seitun Bagtsche (Zeytun Bahçe), Sint. 1888:439 p.p. (E)! C8 Urfa: Ras-el-Ain (Ceylanpinar), Hausskn. 575! Palestine, Anti-Lebanon, Syrian Desert, N. Iraq, W. Iran. Ir.-Tur. element? Much confused in herbaria with C. pyenocephalus subsp. albidus, with which it is partly sympatric. The nomenclature of the C. pyenocephalus complex is discussed by the author in Notes R.B.G. Edinb. 33:413 (1975), but the Nyman combination of subsp. arabicus was overlooked. Species doubtfully recorded |