SPECIES DESCRIPTION
PARENTUCELLIA VISCOSA
Family and Genus:- See- OROBANCHACEAE
Common Names:- Parentucellia, Yellow bartsia, Yellow glandweed.
Homotypic Synonyms:- Bartsia viscosa, Bellardia viscosa, Eufragia viscosa,
Lasiopera viscosa, Rhinanthus viscosus, Trixago viscosa.
Meaning:- Parentucellia (L) For Thommaso Parentucelli (1397-1455), Pope
Nicholas V, who founded the Vatican Apostolic Library and Botanic Garden.
Viscosa (L) Sticky, viscid.
General description:- Semi-parasite herbaceous erect, annual.
Stem:-
1) 15-40 cm tall, simple or occasionally sparingly branched, glandular-pilose.
Leaves:-
1) Cauline, opposite or the upper alternate, in 4-7 regularly spaced pairs, 12-30
mm, oblong to broadly lanceolate, serrate with subobtuse teeth.
Flowers:-
1) Inflorescence, a spiciform raceme, elongating in fruit.
2) Bracts, numerous, foliaceous, alternate, lance-shaped, toothed, brownish green
yellow.
3) Calyx, 10-16 mm;
a) teeth, linear-lanceolate, nearly as long as the tube, with 5 narrow, partly fused
sepals.
4) Corolla, 16-24 mm, with a long tube, 2 lipped, bright lemon yellow;
a) upper, entire and forming a small helmet.
b) lower, with 3 spread out lobes, longer than the upper lip.
Fruit:-
1) Capsule, 7-9 mm, oblong, pubescent.
2) Seeds c. 0·5 mm.
Key features:-
1) Calyx teeth, narrowly triangular to lanceolate, at least half as long as the tube.
2) Capsule, c. 3 times as long as broad.
3) Corolla, 16-24 mm, yellow.
Habitat:- Seasonally damp to wet meadows, wet spots in orchards, mostly in
coastal areas. 0-700(-1300) m.
Distribution:- W Europe, the Mediterranean region and SW Asia. Fairly scattered
occurrence across Crete mainly central and west..
Flowering time:- Apr-June
Photos by:- Steve Lenton
