Rubiaceae

C. taurica (Pallas ex Willd.) Ehrend. in Notes R.B.G. Edinb. 22.393 (1958). Syn: Valantia taurica Pallas ex Willd., Sp. PL ed. 4, 4(2):951 (March-April 1806); V. humifusa Willd., op. cit. 949 (1806); V. chersonensis Willd., op. cit. 951 (1806); Galium coronatum Sm. in Sibth. & Sm., Fl. Graec. Prodr. 1:90 (Oct.-Nov. 1806); G. humifusum (Willd.) Stapf in Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Math.-Nat. Kl. 50:107 (1885) non Bieb. (1808); Cruciata coronata (Sm.) Ehrend. in Notes R.B.G. Edinb. 22:393 (1958) varietatibus et subspeciebus inclusis. Ic: Fl. Iraq 4(1): t. 114 (1980), as subsp. mesopotamica (Ehrend.) Ehrend.
Suffruticose to ± herbaceous caespitose perennial, with strongly woody primary root and sometimes with few adventitious roots. Stems(6-)10-45(-70) cm, often prostrate at base, with erect to ascending branches, quadrangular, with ± broad cartilaginous angles, glabrous or pubescent with short recurved hairs, sometimes hirsute, but hairs less than 1 mm;internodes usually less than 14, upper finally elongate to 3-4.5 cm. Vegetative shoots to c. 40 cm, leaves often narrower than those of flowering stems. Leaves (5-)10-25(-40) x (2-)4-15 mm, somewhat coriaceous, oblong, narrowly elliptic to suborbicular, obtuse to acute, glabrous, with antrorsely scabrid-ciliate margins only or puberulent to shortly hirsute, 1-3-veined (those of vegetative shoots and at base of flowering shoots often 1-veined). Bracts subtending cymes accrescent to 30 x 15 mm after flowering, obovate, broadly ovate to suborbicular, parchment-like, often yellowish or tinged purple, finally reflexed. Cymes 5-9-flowered. Peduncles and pedicels ± densely hirsute or with adpressed hairs, sometimes glabrous, elongate in fruit to c. 3-4(-12) mm, strongly divaricate to reflexed. Bracteoles elliptic to suborbicular, accrescent to c. 15 x 12 mm, antrorsely ciliolate-scabrid to hairy or glabrescent. Corolla golden-yellow to yellowish-green, (2.5-)3-6 mm diam., lobes ovate to subelliptic, acute to acuminate. Mericarps usually single, globose, (2.5-)3-4(-5) mm diam., glabrous or hirsute. 2n=22, 44, 66, 88. Fl. 3-7. Dry rocks, scree, steppe, scrub, 300-3300 m.
Described from Crimea.
Widespread. A2(A) Bilecik: nr Bilecik, 300-400 m, Bornm. 1929:14221! A3 Bolu: Seben, Kanli Tuzla, 1800 m, Alpay 528! A4 Kastamonu: İlgaz Da., 1780 m, Edmondson 484! A5 Çorum: Siklik, A. Baytop (ISTE 9155)! A6 Samsun: Kavak, on Anatolian plateau side, 700 m, Tobey 518! A7 Giresun:
10 km N.W. of Şebinkarahisar, 1300 m, Sorger 69-31-15! A8 Erzurum: by lake nr Mescit Da., S.E. of Ispir, 3000 m, Barclay 914! A9 Kars: Kisir Da., 3000 m, D. 30540! B2 Uşak: 6 km S. of Uşak towards Sivasli, c. 800m, Coode & Jones 2405! B3 Eskişehir: 20 km from Eskişehir to Sivrihisar, 900 m, A. Baytop (ISTE 25236)! B4 Ankara: Ankara, vi 1906, Freres E.C.! B5 Yozgat:
11 km E. of Yozgat towards Sorgun, 1300 m, Coode & Jones 1550! B6 Sivas: Zara, 1500 m, Rech. 39126! B7 Elaziğ: Elaziğ, dam of Çip köyü, Cirik (İSTE 22600)! B8 Siirt: Sasun Da., Halkis Da. massif, 1600-1850 m, Watson et al. 1216! B9 Van: Pelü Da., 54 km W.S.W. of Van, 3000 m, Edmondson 646! Cl Ay din: Davutlar, Findiklikabe to Belenkuyu su, 50 m, Uslu 4167! C2 Ay din: Bozdoğan, Topçambabadaği to Yangin, 1450 m, Uslu 5637! C3 Isparta: Sütçüler, Kuzca köyü, Totabeli, 1400-1500 m, Peşmen & Güner 2080! C4 içel: Mut to Karaman, 48 km N. of Mut, 1600 m, Coode & Jones 940! C5 Konya: Ereğli, Aydos Da., Kayasaray, Sayindaaz, 1700 m, Erik 1773! C6 Âdâna: Amanus mts., 0.5 km below Nurdaği pass (W. side), 1100 m, Watson et al.996! C7 Urfa: between Birecik and Carmelik, iii 1867, Hausskn.! C8 Mardin: Mardin castle, 1200 m, D. 28347! C9 Hakkari: Elkiyayla Dav above pass between Marunis and Beytüşşebap (CENTO road), 2550 m, D. 45302! CIO Hakkari: nr Talana, S. of Cilo Da., 2130 m, Trelawny 1802! Is: Samos, mt. Kerkis, nr Ag. Evangelistra, D. 1673!
E. Greece (Euboea), Crimea, Caucasia, Iran, Turkmenia, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon. Ir.-Tur. element. The species is an extremely polymorphic polyploid complex with numerous diploid, tetraploid, hexaploid and octoploid races. Morphological variation affects the growth form (semi-shrubby to ± herbaceous, tall and stiffly erect to minute and prostrate); the differentiation of vegetative and floral shoots and their leaves (similar to very diverse); indumentum of stems, leaves and fruits (hirsute or loosely hairy to glabrous); the change of floral bracts after anthesis (little to considerable increase, induration, coloration); size and surface of fruits (small to large, smooth to warty, hairy to glabrous), etc. This variation corresponds to a very wide range of habitats from colline to high-alpine, and from rocks and scree to steppe and scrub. The separation neither of C. taurica and C. coronata nor of several species maintained in Fl. URSS (e.g. Galium braunii Zelen., G. kopetdaghense Pobed. etc.) appears practicable. Contributions towards a definitely necessary infraspecific taxonomic classification have been made by Ehrendorfer in Ann. Naturh. Mus. Wien 56:238-244 (1948), Notes R.B.G. Edinb. 22:393-396 (1958), in Davis et al. (eds.), Plant Life of South-West Asia 207-210(1971) and in Fl. Eur. 4:37 (1976). Extensive field observations, karyological studies and. herbarium investigations during recent years have shown that these infra-specific treatments are basically acceptable but definitely need further elaboration, and are therefore not included here. A more natural and detailed taxonomic survey will be presented in a separate publication. In Fl. Iraq 4(1): 621-624 (1980), we stated that subsp. mesopotamica (Ehrend.) Ehrend. and subsp. persica (DC.) Ehrend. occur in Turkey; subsp. taurica is restricted to the Crimea.