Brassicaceae |
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Isatis L. |
I. glauca Aucher ex Boiss. in Ann. Sci. Nat., 17: 201 (1842). Perennial. Stems 50-100 cm, glabrous, pubescent or hirsute below. Leaves leathery or thickish, glaucous, entire, glabrous or sparsely hirsute, often drying a somewhat yellowish green; median stem leaves exauriculate or very shortly acutely auricled. Panicle 12-30 cm across. Flowers 3-5 mm, often drying a brassy yellow, sepals glabrous. Fruits oblong, elliptic or narrowly cuneate-oblong,obtuse, 13-22(-30) × 5-7(-9) mm, wing thick or thin, 1.5 × width of loculus, glabrous, velutinous or tomentellous, midrib slender and obscure. A very polymorphic species centred in Inner Anatolia. In diversity of fruit type it resembles I. tinctoria from which it may be distinguished by its constantly perennial habit, and usually leathery, always entire and very glaucous foliage, the median cauline leaves being exauriculate or only very shortly auricled. The following partly allopatric subspecies may be recognised, though intermediates occur: 1. Fruit oblong, oblong-elliptic or broadly elliptic, rounded or subtruncate at both ends, glabrous or velutinous; median stem leaves leathery, oblong-obovate, exauriculate or very shortly acute-auricled 2. Wing of fruit thick and spongy, fruit 13-30 x 5-7 mm; stems 50-100 cm, stout (5-10 mm thick near base) subsp. glauca 2. Wing of fruit thin and membranous, fruit 10-16(-20) x 5-7(-9) mm; stem usually about 50 cm and more slender subsp. iconia 1. Fruit narrowly cuneate-oblong, apex rounded, tapering from above the loculus towards the base, 16-22 x 5-6 mm, densely tomentellous (rarely glabrous) ; median stem leaves firm, oblong or nearly so, exauriculate (stems 40-60 cm. more slender than in subsp. glauca) subsp. exauriculata subsp. iconia (Boiss. & Heldr.) Davis in Notes R.B.G. Edinb., 26: 22 (1964). Figure 16, p. 293. Syn: I. iconia Boiss. & Heldr. in Boiss., Diagn., ser. 1(8): 48 (1849)! Fl. 5-6. Steppe and fields, 980-1750 m. Type: [Turkey C4 Konya] Lycaonia, in agris prope Koniah [Konya], Held-reich (holo. G!). Scattered in Inner Anatolia. Cappadocia, round Enehil, Bal. 455! B6 Sivas: Sivas to Hafik, 12 km E of Sivas, 1400 m, Hub.-Mor. 13112! B9 Van: Van, at N foot of castle rock, 1750 m, D. 22632! C3 Konya: Kursalu at Beyşehir G.,v 1845. Heldreich! C4 Konya: Konya to Çumra, Küçük Köy, 980 m. Helbaek 2480! Endemic: Ir.-Tur. element. This is the commonest subspecies in vilayet Konya, but in the same population {Helbaek 2480) both thin and thick winged plants occur. Material from Van is untypical and diverse. Û. 22632 having velutinous and D. 23289 exceptionally large (up to 20x9 mm) fruits; in fruit shape the latter approaches I. sevangensis Busch from Soviet Armenia, another member of the I. glauca complex. |