Family |
Fabaceae
Ononis viscosa subsp. breviflora
(DC.) Nyman
Ononis viscosa subsp. breviflora (DC.) Nyman
First published in Consp. Fl. Eur.: 161 (1878).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, pp. 236–237; Pl. XCIII, fig. 4)
Description
Synonym: Ononis breviflora DC., Prodr. 2: 160 (1825).
Morphology: Annual herb, 20–30 cm tall, with erect, branched stems and stiff, spreading glandular hairs. Leaves petiolate, the lowest simple and the others trifoliolate. Leaflets oblong-elliptic and obtuse, the central leaflet larger. Stipules entire, at least the upper ones. Flower stalks single-flowered, with a long awn, equalling the subtending leaf or slightly shorter. Calyx lobes lanceolate, five times as long as the tube and exceeding the corolla; the whole flower reaches 1 cm. Pods pendulous, hispid and shortly cylindrical, about 1.5 cm long and 4–5 mm wide, with 10–12 rough seeds.
Flowering and habitat
Flowering: March–April.
Habitat: Fields and degraded woodland. No numerical elevation range is specified in Mouterde’s account.
Distribution
Distribution in Lebanon: Three kilometres north of Tyre; Nahr Damour; Beirut; Chemlan; Araya; Baabda; Jamhour; Bhamdoun; above Antelias; Ibl es-Saki; Blaouzé; Zellaya-Yohmor.
Distribution in Syria: Tartous; Bhamra; Safita; north of Ouadi Qandil. Mouterde also cites Damascus with a question mark, indicating an uncertain record.
Recorded locations: Horsh Ehden.
Native range: Mediterranean region to Iran. POWO lists Albania, Algeria, the Balearic Islands, Cyprus, the East Aegean Islands, France, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Crete, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Morocco, the northwestern Balkan Peninsula, Palestine, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, Sinai, Spain, Tunisia, Türkiye and European Türkiye.
⚠️ Taxonomic note:
Mouterde treats this taxon as Ononis viscosa subsp. breviflora (DC.) Rouy, with O. breviflora DC. as its synonym. POWO accepts the same subspecies under the authorship (DC.) Nyman and dates that combination to 1878; the accepted authorship is used here.