Family |
Fabaceae
Cercis siliquastrum
L.
Cercis siliquastrum L.
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. LXXV nº 1; 1983)
Life-form & habit: Shrub or small tree, 5–10 m tall, with an irregular trunk and branching crown, glabrous throughout.
Leaves: Broadly cordate, palmatinerved, entire, rounded to slightly emarginate at apex, glabrous, petiolate.
Inflorescence & flowers: Clusters of 3–6 flowers borne directly on branches and trunk (cauliflory); pedicels glandular-papillose.
Calyx: Short, glabrous, with 5 teeth.
Corolla: Pink to purplish, zygomorphic; petals clawed, the standard broad and erect.
Fruit: Flattened, compressed legumes, 6–10 × 1–1.5 cm, brown, slightly puberulent when young, dehiscent, with persistent style.
Phenology: Flowers from February to April; fruit matures in late spring and summer.
Habitat & elevation: Wooded and rocky areas; commonly cultivated and naturalized.
Lebanese distribution: Ct. Beirut, Nahr el-Kelb, Tripoli; Mi. ‘Aley, Jamhour, Ghazir, Douma, Kfar Chima, Nibayé, ‘Asfouriyé; Mm. Qannoubine.
Syrian distribution: NLatt. Bassit, Kessab.
Native range: Afghanistan, Albania, Bulgaria, East Aegean Is., France, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, NW. Balkan Pen., Palestine, Sicilia, Türkey, Türkey-in-Europe. (KEW)
Introduced into: Algeria, Austria, Baleares, Corse, Germany, Great Britain, India, Krym, Madeira, Morocco, North Caucasus, Pakistan, Portugal, Romania, South Australia, Spain, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan. (KEW)