Family |
Fabaceae
Astragalus cruentiflorus
Boiss.
Leb. Syr.
Astragalus cruentiflorus Boiss.
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CXXXVI nº 3 & 4; 1983)
Life-form & habit: Densely branched cushion-forming subshrub, 10–30 cm tall. Stems closely surrounded by short, spiny petioles; tomentose between the stipules.
Leaves: Densely silvery-canescent, with 6–7 pairs of ovate, short, approximate, spinulose leaflets. Stipules thin, hyaline, triangular, ciliate.
Inflorescence & flowers: Axillary fascicles of 4–5 flowers, tightly grouped into dense, globular heads overtopped by the terminal leaves. Bracts linear, exceeding the calyx tube.
Calyx: Densely hispid with flexuous canescent hairs; subulate teeth slightly hispid at the apex, longer than the tube.
Corolla: Bright pink, clearly exceeding the calyx.
Phenology: Flowers from June to August.
Habitat & elevation: Montane zones.
Lebanese and Syrian distribution: Common in the mountains of Lebanon and Syria.
Native range: Endemic to Lebanon and Syria (KEW, GBIF)