Family |
Asteraceae
Rhagadiolus edulis
Gaertn.
Rhagadiolus edulis Gaertn.
(Fruct. Sem. Pl. 2: 354; 1791 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CCXX nº 2; 1969)
• Life-form & habit: Annual herb, 10–40 cm tall, erect or ascending, slender, with few to several branches from the base. Stems glabrous or sparsely pubescent, milky when cut, containing latex as typical of the Cichorieae.
• Leaves: Basal leaves forming a loose rosette, oblong to oblanceolate, 30–80 × 8–20 mm, entire or irregularly pinnatifid, margins coarsely dentate; cauline leaves smaller, sessile, clasping, often auriculate at the base. Surfaces glabrous or sparsely hairy.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Capitula solitary or few, borne on long, slender peduncles. Involucre cylindrical, 10–15 mm long, composed of several rows of green bracts, outer ones shorter, inner linear-lanceolate. Ligules yellow, 8–12 mm long, entire at the apex. Receptacle naked.
• Fruit: Achenes dimorphic — outer achenes short, beakless, inner ones elongated and narrowed into a slender beak bearing a white pappus of fine bristles; all achenes transversely rugose.
• Phenology: Flowers and fruits from March to May.
• Habitat & elevation: Dry grassy slopes, field margins, and open scrub on calcareous or marly soils; 0–1 800 m. Prefers sunny, well-drained habitats and is often associated with annual spring grasslands.
• Lebanese distribution: Common throughout coastal and submontane Lebanon, reported by Mouterde from Beirut, Aley, Barouk, and Zahlé; ascending into Mount Lebanon up to 1 500 m. Frequently found among cereal fields and disturbed slopes.
• Native to: Algeria, Baleares, Bulgaria, Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., France, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kriti, Krym, Lebanon-Syria, Morocco, North Caucasus, NW. Balkan Pen., Palestine, Portugal, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, Transcaucasus, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine (POWO).
• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: Rhagadiolus edulis is a Mediterranean–Irano-Anatolian annual recognised by its yellow ligulate florets, dimorphic achenes, and edible young leaves (as indicated by the epithet edulis). Mouterde (1969) noted its variability in indumentum and achene size across Lebanese populations. The species is often confused with small Crepis or Tolpis species but differs by its naked receptacle and distinct inner beaked achenes. It forms a characteristic element of the spring flora of Mediterranean fields and slopes.