1. A. dioscoridis L., Sp. PL ed. 2:891 (1762).
  Erect herb, 1540 cm, pubescent, puberulous or glabrous. Basal leaves with winged petiole; lamina 6-25 x 1-7 cm, subentire to laciniate or deeply pinnatifid; lobes mucronulate, spinescent, entire or dentate. Bracts incised or dentate, ± spinescent. Bracteoles linear to linear-lanceolate, subulate. Corolla purple or rose-red; lobes pubescent or glandular-pubescent outside, glandular-pubescent inside; tube glabrous or pubescent outside, hirsute within. Style sparsely hairy at base. Ovary hairy at apex. Fl. 5-8. Rocky igneous slopes, cliffs, dry chalky loam, hills, steppe, fallow fields, etc., 1300-2200 m.

1. Lamina of basal leaves ± entire or rarely 2-3-lobed
  2. Plant more than 20 cm tall var. dioscoridis
  2. Plant 10-15 cm tall var. brevicaulis
1. Lamina of basal leaves laciniate or deeply pinnatifid
  3. Lamina laciniate to less than halfway var. laciniatus
  3. Lamina deeply pinnatifid into spiny-dentate lobes var. perringii
var. dioscoridis. Syn: A. dioscoridis L. var. grar.diflorus Bornm. in Mitt. Thür. Bot. Ver. N.F. 6:67 (1894); A. dioscoridis L. var. boissieri Freyn & subsp. longistylis Freyn in Bull. Herb. Boiss. 4:140 (1896); A. dioscoridis L. var. boissieri Bornm. & var. straussii Hausskn. ex Bornm. in Beih. Bot. Centr. 22 (2): 117 (1876). Ic:: Zeller, Wild Pl. Holy Land ed. 2: t. 40 (1876); The Plants-man 2:138(1981). Map 3.
  Type: [Lebanon] in Libano, [1573-75], Rauwolf (holo. L).
  E. Anatolia. B6 Maraş/Malatya: Elbistan to Darende, 13 vii 1906, G. & B. Post! B7 Tunceli: above Pülümür, 1900 m, D. 30994! B8 Erzincan: Aşkale to Tercan, 1840 m, Hub.-Mor. 14436(!). B9 Bitlis: Said ovasi 7km S.S.W. of Bitlis, 1600 m, Frödin 1939:268. C7 Adiyaman: below Urik nr Kahta, Hand.-Mazz. 2164. C8 Mardin: Mardin, Bakakri, Sint. 1888:1250 (type of subsp. longistylis Freyn)! Diyarbakır: Diyarbakir, D. 22149! C9 Hakkari: mt. Siares (Ziyarat Da.?) nr Hasitha (Aşutka), 1500-1750 m, Nábelek 1993. C10 Hakkari: above Ziri, S. of Cilo Da., 2130 m, Trelawny 1822 (!).
  Lebanon, N. Iraq, W. Iran; Yemen?
var. laciniatus Freyn in Bull. Herb. Boiss. 4:140 (1896). Map 3.
  Type: [Turkey C5/6 Adana] Süd-Cappadocien, Hadschin (Saimbeyli), in wasserreichen Thale Tschatak gözü, 22 vi 1893, Manissadjian 678 (holo. M, iso. E! G! LD!).
  S. Anatolia (Anti-Taurus). C5 Adana: Sis (Kozan) to Hadjin (Saimbeyli), 4 vii 1906, G. & B. Post! Içel: Mersin, Siehe 445 (!).
Endemic.
var. perringii (Siehe) E. Hossain, stat. nov. Syn: A. perringii Siehe in Gard. Chron. ser. 3, 37:2 (1905)! Ic: Gard. Chron. ser. 3, 46:194 (1909). Map 3.
  Type: [Turkey C5 Adana] Cappadocien Anti-Taurus, [Masmutlidagh (Mazmili Da.), 1525-1830 m, 1903], Siehe [105]. (iso. E! W!).
S. Anatolia (Anti-Taurus). C6 Maraş: 24 km from Maraş to Göksun, 1300 m, Stn. &Hend. 5533!
  Endemic.
var. brevicaulis (Freyn) E. Hossain, stat. nov. Syn: A. dioscoridis L. subsp. brevicaulis Freyn in Bull. Herb. Boiss. 4:141 (1896)! Map 3.
  Type: [Turkey A5 Kastamonu] Paphlagonia, Kastemuni: auf den felsigen Abhängen Kiredj odjaghy (Kireç), 2 vii 1892, Manissadjian 1040 (iso. E! LD! M!).
  N. Anatolia (C. part). A4 Kastamonu: nr Kastamonu, Maniss. 77!
  Endemic.
  A remarkably variable species in height, length of spike, leaf shape, presence or absence of leaf spines, type of indumentum, and shape of bracts and bracteoles. Flower colour is the only reliable character to separate it from its nearest ally, A. hirsutus.
  Distribution of species as for var. dioscoridis. Mainly Ir.-Tur. element.
  A gathering from A7 Giresun (16 km E. of Suşehri on road to Şebinkarahisar, Apold et al. 36!) may be a hybrid between A. dioscoridis and A. hirsutus. Its indumentum resembles the latter, but the flower colour corresponds with the former. Its bracts are characteristically elongate and ovate-acuminate, differing from both species.