Family |
Asteraceae
Pallenis spinosa
(L.) Cass.
Pallenis spinosa (L.) Cass.
First published in G.-F.Cuvier, Dict. Sci. Nat., ed. 2. 37: 276 (1825).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 3, p. 372, Pl. CCII, 1; 1983)
• Synonym: Buphthalmum spinosum L., cited by Mouterde and verified in Kew.
• Life-form & habit: Green, hairy annual in Mouterde’s account, with an erect stem, 30–100 cm tall, branching toward the top into a corymb.
• Leaves: Lower leaves oblong to oblong-spatulate, tapering into a stalk; upper leaves lanceolate, stalkless and half-clasping the stem.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Stalked flower heads without leaves at their base. Outer involucral bracts spreading, lanceolate, prominently veined and spine-tipped, much longer than the flowers. Inner bracts ovate and sharply pointed, about as long as the short ray florets.
• Fruit: Hairy achenes with a short, finely toothed crown; those of the marginal flowers flattened and two-winged, those of the disc somewhat three-angled.
• Phenology: March–June.
• Habitat & elevation: Fields, abandoned ground and roadsides.
• Lebanese distribution: Beirut, Jel ed Dib, Nahr el Kelb, Ras Chekka, Kaftine, Tripoli, Abey, Ghazir, Bikfaya, Mkalles, Jamhour, Ehden, Hasroun and Bcharre.
• Syrian distribution: Tartous, Jeble, Bhamra, Ras Chamra, Damascus, Ghouta, Homs and Soueida.
• Recorded locations: Kornet Chehwan and Kfertay.
• Native range: Albania, Algeria, Baleares, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Egypt, France, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Morocco, North Caucasus, NW. Balkan Pen., Palestine, Portugal, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Türkiye and Türkiye-in-Europe.
• Introduced into: South Australia and Victoria.