| Fabaceae |
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Vicia cracca L. subsp. stenophylla VEL. |
 Vicia cracca L. subsp. stenophylla VEL. |
Vicia L. |
| V. cracca L., Sp. PL 735 (1753). Davis in Notes R.B.G. Edinb. 29: 314 (1969). Maps 57, 58. p. 285. Slender perennial, erect or climbing, glabrescent or adpressed-hairy. Leaflets (5-)8-16(-20)-paired, 0.8-4 cm, ovate-oblong to linear; stipules slender, semi-hastate, nearly always entire; tendrils branched. Peduncle shorter or longer than leaf; raceme 10-40-flowered, dense or lax. Flowers 13-18(-20) mm, violet or lilac (rarely white). Calyx 3-6 mm, scarcely gibbous, often purplish, the lowest tooth shorter to slightly longer than tube. Limb of standard subequal to nearly twice as long as claw. Style laterally compressed. Legume 20-30 mm, always glabrous. Seeds several. A very polymorphic species, in which it is particularly, difficult to distinguish between inherited variation and phenotypic plasticity. The complex is at its most variable in the Balkans, Anatolia and Caucasia. The five subspecies recognised for Turkey form a partly discontinuous series, subsp. cracca and subsp. steno-phylla being the two extremes. Although the V. cracca complex has received bio-systematic study in Europe, almost nothing is Known about the group's cytogenetics in Anatolia and Caucasia. The following account is tentative; the eastern limits of the subspecies remain somewhat uncertain, partly due to the questionable status of several 'species' recognised in Caucasia. Specimens of V. cracca sensu lato have often been confused with V. villosa (q.v.). 1. Flowers large, very dark violet, 13-18 mm long; peduncle short, usually 2-4 cm, as long as the conferred raceme: plant erect, with leaflets usually 8-10-paired. oblong-lanceolate to oblong, often subsericeous; limb of standard 1-4/3 × as long as claw: legume as in subsp. qerardii subsp. atroviolacea 1. Plants without the above combination of characters, the peduncles and racemes being longer, and the flowers paler 2. Standard 10-14 mm, limb subequal or equal to claw, violet-blue: leaflets 10-25 mm. widest at or below the middle, or parallel-sided; legume ( 17-)20-25 mm, stipe included in the calyx tube or shortly exserted; plant erect or climbing, with peduncles usually 4-7 cm 3. Stems weak, climbing, adpressed-pubescent; leaflets 5-12-paired; lowest calyx tooth subequal to tube, lanceolate; legume oblong, with the obliquely truncate ends almost parallel, narrowed into a short stipe included in calyx tube subsp. cracca 3. Stems self-supporting, erect, patently or adpressed-pubescent; leaflets 12-16(-20)-paired; lowest calyx tooth as long to slightly longer than tube, subulate; legume obliquely oblong, more gradually narrowed into a stipe equal to or slightly longer than calyx tube subsp. gerardii 2. Standard 11-18 mm, limb slightly longer to up to 2 x as long as claw, mauve, lilac or violet blue (rarely white); leaflets 10-40 mm, always parallel-sided; legume 22-30 mm, with an exserted stipe; plants erect with peduncles 4-13 cm 4. Leaflets oblong-linear, 15-40x2-5 mm, usually obtuse; habit stouter and less twiggy than in subsp. stenophylla; inflorescence rather dense, flowers nodding; limb of standard 3/2-2 x as long as claw; legume obliquely oblong subsp.tenuifolia 4. Leaflets narrowly linear, 10-30 x0.5-2(-3) mm, acute; habit bushy, with branches and leaf rachides slender and rigid; inflorescence usually lax, flowers often more spreading; limb of standard up to 3/2 x as long as claw; legume obliquely oblanceolate, more attenuate below than in any other subspecies subsp. stenophylla Subsp. stenophylla Vel., Fl. Buig. 163 (1891). Figure 3, p. 323. Syn: V. elegans Guss., Fl. Sic. Prodr. 2:438 (1828); V. tenuifolia var. laxiflora Gris., Spic. 1:82 (1843)! V. tenuifolia Roth var. stenophylla Boiss., Fl. Or. 2:586 (1872)! nomen illegit.; V. dalmatica Kerner, Sched. Fl. Austro-Hung. 4:1029 (1886); V. variabilis Freyn in Öst. Bot. Zeitschr. 42:82 (1892) pro parte; V. elegans var. asiatica Freyn in Bull. Herb. Boiss. 3:192 (1895)! V. asiatica (Freyn) Grossh., Fl. Kavk. 5:395 (1952)! Ic: Reichb., Ic. Fl. Germ. 22: t. 232 (1903), as V. dalmatica. Fl. 5-7. Corn and fallow fields, less commonly in scrub, on rocky slopes and on banks, nr. s.l.-2200 m. Described from N.Greece (syntypes of V. tenuifolia var. laxiflora Gris. (K!)). Widespread; particularly abundant in Inner Anatolia. A1(E) Kırklareli: Demirköy to Iğneada, Kayacik 12! A1(A) Çanakkale: Renkioi (Erenkoy), v 1856, Kirk! A2(E) Istanbul: Değirmendere, Demiriz 4897! A2(A) Kocaeli: Pendik, 7 vi 1891, Azn.! A3 Bolu: above Mudurnu, 1250 m, D. 37085! A4 Ankara: Hacikadin valley, 800 m, D. 18839! A5 Yozgat: 10 miles from Çekerek to Alaca, 800 m, Coode & Jones 1642! A7 Gümüşane: Stadodopi, Sint. 1894:6210! (syntype of V. elegans var. asiatica). A8 Rize: Cimil, 2000 m, 1866, Bal. (robust; limb of Standard as long as claw). Bl Izmir: Sabanca Beli, Bornova-Manisa, 420 m, Hub.-Mor. 2567 (leaflets 3 mm broad)! B3 Konya: Sultan Da. above Akşehir, 1100-1400 m, Bornm. 1899:4356! B4 Ankara: Elma Da., 1200 m, Mark-graf 1O534! B5 Kirşehir: Mucur to Sife G., D. 21800! B6 Sivas: Sivas to Zara, 1200 m, Balls 1391a. B7 Elaziğ: Kharput, Sint. 1899:594 & 595 (densely canes-cent)! B8 Erzurum: 20 km from Hinis to Pasinler, 1900 m, D. 46360! B9 Bitlis: W. side of Pelli Da. pass, 2200 m, D. 46011! C2 Antalya: Elmali, 29 v 1860, Bourgeau! C3 Konya: 13 miles from Beyşehir to Konya, 1100 m, D. 35849! C4 Içel: d. Mut, Magras Da., Coode & Jones 799! C5 Içel: Gullek Depe, 1100 m, Siehe 1896:679! C6 Gaziantep: Gaziantep, Karataş, Balls 2215! C7 Urfa: 8 km from Urfa to Hilvan, 600 m, D. 28196! C8 Siirt: 13 km from Siirt to Kurtalan, 850 m, D. 43114! Is: Lesvos, Rech. 5599: Samos, Rech. 3400. Italy, Balkans. Hungary, Romania. Crimea, Cyprus, Transcaucasia, W. Syria, Iran; N. Iraq ? Some specimens (e.g. Bl Izmir. Hub.-Mor. 2567!) have exceptionally wide leaflets up to 3 mm, but are otherwise typical of this subspecies; some other plants with broad leaflets have the standard equalling the claw (A8 Rize: Cimil, 3a/.! Bl Balikesir. Mt. Ida. Sint. 1883:1093). Densely canescent gatherings from A4 Çankiri (Çankiri. 1520 m, D. 21478!) and B7 Elaziğ (Kharput. Sint. 1899:594 & 595! Elaziğ to Pertek. 1300 m. D. 29196!) approach subsp. gerardii in indumentum, but belong to a variant of subsp. stenophylla originally described as V. variabilis Freyn. Subsp. stenophylla is the commonest subspeciesin Turkey, and is found chierly in disturbed habitats. Its almost oblanceolate legumes help to distinguish it from subsp. tenuifolia, which tends to have a more northerly distribution. |