Flora-Fauna

Verbascum tripolitanum Boiss.

First published in Diagn. Pl. Orient. 12: 9 (1853).

(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 3, p. 214, Pl. CVIII, 1; 1983)

• Life-form & habit: Biennial, 50–120 cm tall, with a rough yellowish covering, glandular above and becoming partly or largely hairless. Stems cylindrical, branched from the base.

• Leaves: Basal leaves on stalks 3–10 cm long; blades broadly or narrowly oblong, 6–35 × 2–15 cm, blunt, wavy-toothed or pinnately lobed and often undulating. Upper stem leaves stalkless, triangular, partly clasping, long-pointed and toothed.

• Inflorescence & flowers: Broad, loose, branched panicle with clusters of usually four to seven flowers, sometimes two, in the bract axils. Bracts broadly heart-shaped-triangular with a tiny terminal point; flower stalks 1–4 mm, with oval bracteoles. Calyx 5–7 mm, densely glandular, with pointed oval-oblong lobes. Corolla yellow, 30–40 mm across, with few or no translucent dots and a felted outer surface. Five stamens with centrally attached anthers; filaments purple-violet-haired, the upper two hairless at their tips.

• Fruit: Broadly elliptic, felted capsule, 4–4.5 × 3–3.5 mm.

• Phenology: April–July.

• Habitat & elevation: Mediterranean regions.

• Lebanese distribution: Near Tyre, Saida, Damour, Beirut, Nahr el Kelb, Mar Roukos, Jounie, Batroun, Ras Chekka–Hamate, Tripoli, Fnaideq, Deir el Qamar, Aley, Bhamdoun, Ghosta–Chahtoul, Ain um Rusch, Beskinta, Maasser ech Chouf, Tourzaya, Jamhour, Broummana, Ghazir, Bikfaya, Qartaba, Zahle and Mount Hermon.

• Syrian distribution: Latakia, Ain Haramiye, Wadi Qandil, Kessab, Bdama–Slenfe, Banias, Ras el Ain and east of Demir Kapou.

• Recorded locations: Chouaiyya.

• Native range: Lebanon-Syria, Palestine and Türkiye.