CATANANCHE LUTEA

Family:- COMPOSITAE

Common Name:- None

Synonyms:- Piptocephalum luteum.

Meaning:- Catananche (Gr) Driving-force (of Cupid's dart).

Lutea (L) Yellow, vile, of clay, muddy.

General description:- Annual, usually with small sessile capitula at ground level in

addition to the cauline ones.

Stem:-

1) 10-30 cm, suberect, simple or sparingly branched, appressed-pubescent.

Leaves:-

1) Basal, linear-oblanceolate, parallel-veined, entire or remotely dentate. ± patent-

pilose.

2) Cauline, similar but smaller.

Flowers:-

1) Capitula, solitary on long, slender peduncles.

2) Involucre, cylindrical to narrowly campanulate.

3) Phyllaries, entire, acute, scarious, the inner much longer and narrower than the

outer.

4) Florets, lemon yellow.

5) Receptacle, with long scales.

Fruit:-

1) Achenes with pappus of 5(-7) aristate scales.

Key features:-

1) Involucral bracts of 2 kinds, the outer ovate, abruptly acute at apex, the inner

narrower and long-attenuate at apex.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Sandy fields, olive groves, open dry shrubby vegetation, 0-750 m.

Distribution:- From Sardinia Italy and Sicily to W. Anatolia, Cyprus, Syria and

Palastine. Rare on Crete, mainly central and in the extreme east.

Flowering time:- May-June

Photos by:- Dr. Armin Jagel