Brassicaceae |
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Anchonium DC. |
A. elichrysifolium (DC.) Boiss., Fl. Or. 1: 240 (1867). Syn: Sterigma elichrysi-folium DC, Syst. 2: 581 (1821). Perennial herb with a short woody stock and numerous sterile rosettes. Stems erect, sometimes scapose, 4-40 cm. Leaves entire, usually canescent, oblanceolate to spathulate, tapering into a long petiole. Flowers very fragrant. Petals bright yellow, (6-)10-13 mm. Siliquae usually lanceolate, often constricted between the seeds, pubescent, 10-30 mm, borne on erect-spreading, or rarely deflexed pedicels. Stigma lobes diverging. A very polymorphic species, divisible in Turkey into 6 subspecies: 1. Petals 6-9 mm; siliquae villous with hair as long as the siliqua is broad subsp. villosum 1. Petals usually 10-13 mm; siliquae less densely pubescent 2. Whole plant densely white-pannose subsp. canescens 2. At most the young leaves white-pannose 3. Stems unbranched, usually scapose subsp. elichrysifolium 3. Stems branched above, usually leafy 4. Plants completely egiandular subsp. persicum 4. Plants with glands on the stems and pedicels 5. Plants canescent as well as glandular subsp. cilicicum 5. Plants principally glandular, with a few branched hairs, but not canescent subsp. glandulosum subsp. villosum Cullen & Coode in Notes R.B.G. Edinb. 26: 194 (1965). Fl. 6. Rocky slopes, c. 2000 m. Type: Turkey B9 prov. Bitlis, Kambos Dağ above Hurmuz, 6000-7000 ft; rocky places; fls. aurea, 31 vi 1954, Davis & Polunin, D. 23460! (holo. E!). Endemic. Ir.-Tur. element. A plant from Bingöl Dağ {Kotschy 394) has been discussed by Bornmüller (Feddes Rep. Beih. 89(1): 39 (1936)); it reputedly has lilac petals, like A. billar-dieri DC. from the Lebanon. We suspect that the flower colour has been wrongly recorded. There is a specimen at Kew, lacking flowers; the label reads 'flores lilacini'. The plant would fit best in our subsp. elichrysifolium. |