Family |
Asteraceae
Urospermum picroides
(L.) Scop. ex F.W.Schmidt
Urospermum picroides (L.) Scop. ex F.W. Schmidt
(Samml. Phys. Aufsätze Böhm. Naturgesch. 1: 275; 1795 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CCXCV nº 3; 1969)
• Life-form & habit: Annual or biennial herb, 10–50 cm tall, with erect to ascending, branched stems exuding milky latex when cut. Plant hispid to densely hairy, especially on leaves and involucres.
• Leaves: Basal leaves forming a rosette, oblanceolate to pinnatifid, 5–15 × 1–3 cm, with toothed or lobed margins; cauline leaves smaller, sessile, clasping the stem. Surfaces rough with stiff hairs.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Capitula solitary, terminal on long, hollow peduncles. Involucre cylindrical to campanulate, 10–20 mm long, with several series of bracts, outer bracts short and appressed, inner longer, hairy. Ligulate florets numerous, bright yellow, turning brownish with age; each floret bisexual, with five-toothed limb and inferior ovary. Receptacle naked.
• Fruit: Achenes dimorphic — outer achenes short, ribbed, without pappus; inner achenes elongated, beaked, ribbed, crowned by a plumose pappus of fine white bristles.
• Phenology: Flowers from February to May; fruits mature from April to June.
• Habitat & elevation: Dry fields, roadsides, sandy or rocky soils, and disturbed ground; common in lowland and coastal regions, extending up to 1 200 m.
• Lebanese distribution: Frequent throughout Lebanon — coastal plains, Beqaa Valley, and lower mountain slopes; recorded by Mouterde from Beirut, Barouk, Zahlé, and Jezzine.
• Native range: Albania, Algeria, Austria, Azores, Baleares, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Egypt, France, Greece, Gulf States, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kriti, Kuwait, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Madeira, Morocco, NW. Balkan Pen., Oman, Palestine, Portugal, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Sinai, Spain, Sudan-South Sudan, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe, Yemen (POWO).
• Introduced into: California, Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Uruguay, Victoria, Western Australia (POWO).
• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: A widespread Mediterranean–Irano-Turanian composite, sometimes confused with Urospermum dalechampii (L.) F.W. Schmidt, which has larger capitula and broader involucral bracts. U. picroides is readily identified by its smaller yellow heads, dimorphic achenes, and stiff hispid indumentum. Common in disturbed and ruderal habitats across the Levant.