Family |
Caryophyllaceae
Gypsophila arabica
Barkoudak
Gypsophila arabica Barkoudak
(Wentia 9: 139, 1962; Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, p. 512; Pl. CLXXVIII nº 4; 1966)
≡ Gypsophila capillaris subsp. confusa Zmarzty (Kew Bull. 48: 694, 1993)
• Life-form & habit: Annual herb, 40–80 cm tall, glabrous, with slender whitish or pale green stems, solitary or fasciculate, diffusely branched from the base into divaricate panicles. Root not markedly thickened.
• Leaves: Somewhat fleshy, 1-nerved, quickly caducous; lower leaves oblong, upper leaves linear; floral leaves very small, linear-herbaceous.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Panicles diffuse; pedicels capillary, spreading, 4–6 times longer than the calyx. Calyx campanulate, lobed to three-quarters, lobes oblong, obtuse, with whitish margins. Petals pale pink with darker lines, ellipsoid, 4–5 mm, equalling or slightly exceeding the calyx.
• Fruit: Capsule shorter than the calyx, containing 2 seeds, subglobose, finely tuberculate.
• Phenology: Flowers May–August.
• Habitat & elevation: Dry regions, steppe habitats, often on sandy or gravelly soils; low to mid elevations.
• Lebanese distribution: Sources of the Orontes, Qa‘a (Mouterde), Qamou‘at Hermel (Blanche).
• Syrian distribution: Dimas, Damascus, Jabal Qasyoun, Kissoué, Sahl es-Sahra (Gaillardot, Barkoudah).
• Native range: Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine); extending to Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.
⚠️ Taxonomic note: G. arabica is closely allied to G. capillaris (Forsk.) Christ., but differs by its narrower leaves, shorter internodes, more divaricate branching, and capsules with only 2 seeds (versus 4–6 in G. capillaris). Zmarzty (1993) treated it as G. capillaris subsp. confusa, but regional floras often maintain G. arabica at species rank.