Family |
Papaveraceae
Glaucium leiocarpum
Boiss.
Glaucium leiocarpum Boiss.
(First published in Fl. Orient. 1: 122; 1867. Treated in Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, p. 58, Pl. XXIV nº 3; 1970)
• Life-form & habit: Biennial or perennial herb, 30 – 40 cm, pluricaul, with papilleous covering, generally sparse. Stems ascending or erect, branched from the base.
• Leaves: Basal leaves shortly petiolate, 6 – 12 cm, lyrate-pinnatisect, segments oblong, irregularly sinuate-dentate. Cauline leaves sessile, amplexicaul.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Solitary, axillary or terminal, on peduncles 2 – 4 cm. Sepals papilleous or glabrescent, 2 – 2.5 cm. Petals bright yellow to orange at the base, 2.5 – 3 cm, less broad than in G. flavum.
• Fruit: Capsule slender, 10 – 15 cm, striate, glabrous or slightly papillulose, somewhat constricted between seeds.
• Phenology: Flowers April to August.
• Habitat & elevation: Rocky ground, especially in mountain regions.
• Lebanese distribution: Mt Lebanon (Barouk, Kneissé, Faraya, Ehden, Cedars, Col des Cèdres, Foum el-Mizhab), Anti-Lebanon, Hermon, Zahlé, Ouadi el-‘Arayech; occasional in Metn (‘Asfouriyé).
• Native range: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, Turkey (POWO).
• Conservation notes: In Lebanon local but sometimes abundant on montane slopes; vulnerable to overgrazing, road development, and pine tree afforestation projects in its elevational range.
• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: Differs from G. flavum by its narrower petals, smaller flowers, and slender, glabrous capsules slightly constricted between seeds.