|
(Last Modified On 11/12/2012)
|
|
|
|
(Last Modified On 11/12/2012)
|
|
Species
|
ARGEMONE MEXICANA L.
|
|
PlaceOfPublication
|
Sp. P1. 508. 1753.
|
|
Synonym
|
Echtrus trivialis Lour. Fl. Cochinch. 1:344. 1790. Argemome ochroleuca Sweet, Brit. Fl. Gard. 3: pI. 242. 1828; fide Standl. & Steyerm. Argemone mexicana var. ochroleuca (Sweet) Lindl. in Bot. Reg. pI. 1343. 1830.
|
|
Description
|
Coarse, prickly annual of sunny habitats, seldom as much as 1 m. tall; stems fleshy, lightly setose-spinose, containing a yellow sap; leaves moderate, sessile, the blade mostly obovate in outline, 5-25 cm. long and up to 8 or 9 cm. wide, the upper leaves smaller, irregularly lobed or incised, the lobes spinose-dentate and rigidly mucronate at the apex, glabrous, glaucous, pinnate-veined, the lateral veins few, obscurely and laxly reticulate; inflorescence as described for the genus; sub- tending bracts consisting of 2-3 very reduced leaves from condensed nodes; flowers showy, light or dark yellow; sepals 3, roughly ovate, about 2 cm. long, rigidly mucronate-spinose apically, usually bearing a few smaller spines below, glabrous and glaucous; petals normally 6, broadly obovate, mostly 2-4 cm. long, glabrous, more or less parallel-veined. Capsule usually oblongoid, 4- to 6-valvate, prominently spinose; seeds many, from 4-6 parietal placentae, globose, reticulate, glabrous.
|
|
Distribution
|
Southern United States and Mexico to Argentina and Chile; West Indies. Naturalized into Old World.
|
|
Specimen
|
cOLON: Santa Rita trail, Cowell 114.
|
|
Note
|
Nine additional specific synonyms are listed by 'Kew Index' for this species; also quite a number of untenable or doubtfully tenable varieties and subvarieties have been proposed by Fedde and others. Probably critical study of the genus would indicate still other synonyms for this early name.
|
|
Tag
|
|
|
|
Project Name
|
|
Tag
|
|
|
|