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Published In: Species Plantarum 2: 872. 1753. (1 May 1753) (Sp. Pl.) Name publication detailView in BotanicusView in Biodiversity Heritage Library
 

Project Name Data (Last Modified On 3/3/2022)
Acceptance : Accepted
Project Data     (Last Modified On 11/7/2021)
Contributor Text: M. Qaiser & Roohi Abid
Contributor Institution:

Centre for Plant Conservation, University of Karachi – Pakistan

Synonym Text:

Bellidiastrum Scop. 1760, nom.et orth. cons. prop.; Rhynchospermum Reinwardt, Syll. Pl. Nov. 2:8.1825; Heteropappus Less. Syn. Gen. Comp. 189.1832.


 

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Mostly perennial, rarely annual or biennial, herbs or subshrubs, shrubs, often rhizomatous, sometimes stoloniferous, rarely caespitose. Stem erect, procumbent or decumbent–ascending, simple or branched, pubescent or glabrous, glandular or eglandular. Leaves basal and cauline, sessile – petiolate, basal leaves in rosettes, cauline alternate, rarely opposite, concolorous or discolorous, spathulate–oblanceolate, lanceolate. Capitula radiate, hetero–gamous rarely discoid, solitary or in corymbose or paniculate synflorescence. Involucre 2–3–seriate, imbricate, hemispheric – campanulate, obconic, compressed or not. Phyllaies 1 – 4 – seriate, ovate–lanceolate, linear, oblong. Receptacle flat or convex – plano convex, alveolate, epaleate. Ray florets present or absent, when present female or sterile, longer than disc florets, somewhat broad, ligules blue, violet, purple, pink or white, hairy or glabrous, coiled or not, entire or 2 – 3 denticulate, lanceolate–linear. Disc florets yellow, bisexual, tubular–campanulate to narrowly funnelform, 5–lobed, lobes equal (actinomorphic) or unequal (often zygomorphic), triangular, erect or spreading. Style with lanceolate or triangular appendages. Cypselas mostly obovate– oblong, compressed, glandular or eglandular, pubescent (sericious–strigillose) or glabrous. Pappus uni–biseriate, persistent or rarely caducous, bristles barbellate, white, straw–coloured or buff, equalling or longer than disc florets; outer bristles short and paleaceous, scabrous.

A large genus consisting of ca 200 species, distributed in Eurasia, Africa, central and eastern Asia. Represented in Pakistan by 17 species.

 

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‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

1.

+

Cypselas of ray florets beaked, of disc florets trigonous.

‎ ‎

2. A. verticillatus

‎ ‎

-

Cypselas of ray florets neither beaked, nor of disc florets trigonous.

‎ ‎

2

2.

+

Leaves ˂ 1 cm wide, mostly entire. Involucre obconical - rotate. Inner phyllaries with white ‎distinct margins. Lobes of disc florets unequal, with 1 tooth deeply cut (ca 1.2 mm long compared to other 4), often ‎zygo-morphic. Pappus of ray florets absent or if present then not of same length as that of disc florets.

3

‎ ‎

-

Leaves ˃ 1 cm (upto 8 cm) wide, mostly denticulate- rarely entire. Involucre hemispheric-‎campanulate. Inner phylla-ries membranaceous but without white distinct margins. Lobes of disc florets almost ‎equal, not zygomorphic. Pappus bristles of rays and disc florets of same length.

‎ ‎

6

‎ ‎

3.

+

Ray florets absent (capitula discoid).

‎ ‎

14. A. holohermaphroditus

-

Ray florets present (capitula radiate).

‎ ‎

4

4.

+

Annual herbs. Pappus of ray florets scaly.

‎ ‎

16. A. gouldii

-

Perennial herbs. Pappus of ray florets bristly.

‎ ‎

5

5.

+

Plants decumbent or almost ascending. Stem usually bent at right angles at the base, ‎sparsely leafy, not intricately and laxly (fastigiately) branched. Margins of inner phyllaries broadly scarious. Ray ‎florets usually more than 20.

‎ ‎

1. A. semiprostratus

-

Plants mostly erect (excluding A. altaicus var. decrescens). Stem not ‎bent at right angles, densely leafy, intricately and fastigiately branched. Margins of all phyllaries broadly scarious. ‎Ray florets 10-20.

‎ ‎

15. A. altaicus

‎ ‎

6.

+

Shrubs. Stem 0.5-2 m tall.

6. A. albescens

‎ ‎

-

Perennial herbs. Stem usually up to 0.5 m tall.

‎ ‎

7

7.

+

Pappus 1-2 mm long, bristles half or one third of the length of disc florets.

4. A. thomsonii

‎ ‎

-

Pappus 3-7 mm long, bristles ± as long or longer than disc florets.

‎ ‎

8

8.

+

Capitula 6-7 mm across. Phyllaries 4-seriate, distinctly fringed. Ray florets 8-10, white ‎‎(confined to Kurram Valley).

‎ ‎

5. A. aitchinsonii

-

Capitula ˃1 cm across (-2.5-3.5 cm). Phyllaries (1-) 2-3-seriate, not fringed. Ray florets 15-95 ‎‎(or more), usually bluish, mauve or pink, rarely white in A. mollisculis.

‎ ‎

9

9.

+

Capitula many with a foliar, oblanceolate bract, in corymbiform to paniculate synflorescence. ‎Outer and middle phyllaries foliaceous, distinctly veined.

9. A. indamellus

‎ ‎

-

Capitula mostly solitary, terminal or 2-3 at the end of each branch without foliar bract (except ‎‎A. falconeri having lanceolate leaves), Outer and middle phyllaries neither foliaceous nor distinctly ‎veined.

‎ ‎

10

10.

+

Plants dwarf and subscapose, ˂ 10 cm tall (mostly 4-6 cm). Leaves densely crowded at the ‎base with white, felted, eglandular hairs.

‎ ‎

17. A. prainii

-

Plants mostly slender or ascending, ˃ 10 cm tall. Leaves neither crowded at the base nor ‎densely white, felted hairy, mixed with minute stipitate glands.

‎ ‎

11

11.

+

Leaves lanceolate, spathulate or oblanceolate, sessile or subsessile, attenuate at the base. ‎‎

‎ ‎

12

-

Leaves ovate or elliptic, linear, distinctly petiolate, not attenuate at the base.

‎ ‎

15

12.

+

Stems leafy throughout, almost upto capitula. Leaves coarsely dentate at the margins, ‎tapering into a thick petiole, upper leaves overlapping and covering the involucre. Capitula surrounded by 3-4, ‎lanceolate, ca 1 cm long leaves. Ray florets 3.5-4 cm long, purplish or bluish above, white below. Pappus buff or ‎brownish.

‎ ‎

13. A. falconeri

-

Stems not throughout leafy. Leaves tapering into a narrow, thin petiole, margins entire, upper ‎leaves not overlapping and covering the involucre. Capitula ebracteate. Ray florets upto 3 cm long, bluish, mauve ‎or lilac. Pappus white.

‎ ‎

13

13.

+

Leaves remains of previous year forming a distinct collar at the base of stem. Basal leaves 5-‎‎10 (-13) cm long, pinnately veined, not trinerved. Phyllaries mostly 1-seriate. Ray florets 2 - 3 cm long, ligule linear, ‎obscurely 3-toothed. Disc florets apically darkened (blackish - purplish), yellow - orange inside. Cypselas 3-3.5 mm ‎long, 4-ribbed, covered with white stiff hairs.

‎ ‎

8. A. diplostephoides

-

Leaves remains of previous year either absent, if present not forming a distinct collar at the ‎base of stem. Basal leaves 1.5-4 (-6.5) cm long, distinctly trinerved. Phyllaries 2 - 3 seriate. Ray florets 1 - 2 cm ‎long, with 1-toothed, linear-lanceolate ligule. Disc florets uniformly yellow. Cypselas 2-2.5 mm long, 2-ribbed, ‎covered with white silky hairs.

14

‎ ‎

14.

+

Rootstock tuberous. Capitula 1 - 1.7 (-2) cm across. Lobes of disc corolla with minute black or ‎purplish hairs, mixed with or without pale glandular or eglandular hairs. Phyllaries 1-1.5 mm wide, glandular ‎pubescent.

‎ ‎

7. A. asteroides

‎ ‎

-

Rootstock absent, if present, long rhizomatous, not tuberous. Capitula (1.5-) 2-3 cm across. ‎Lobes of disc corolla without minute black or purplish hairs. Phyllaries 1.5-2 mm wide, eglandular or glandular ‎‎(blackdotted), villous to lanate.

‎ ‎

3. A. flaccidus

15.

+

Basal leaves marcescent and scaly, cauline leaves narrower, 1 or ˂ 1 cm wide, margin ‎involute, minutely stipitately glandular in pits. Petiole ca 1 cm long. Phyllaries acuminate with long pointed ‎tips.

10. A. molliusculis

‎ ‎

-

Scaly leaves absent at the base of stem, cauline leaves broader, 1.5-7 cm wide, margins not ‎involute, eglandular. Petiole 3 - 8 cm long. Phyllaries without long pointed tips, acute or obtuse.

16

16.

+

Stems usually flexuous, upto 90 cm tall. Phyllaries 2-seriate, acute, outer ones not foliaceous, ‎membranous especially at the margins. Disc florets yellow.

‎ ‎

11. A. peduncularis

-

Plants ascending or erect, scarcely flexuous, upto 30 cm tall. Phyllaries 3-seriate, obtuse, ‎outer ones entirely foliaceous. Disc florets mauve.

12. A. laka

 
 
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