SPECIES DESCRIPTION
PTEROCEPHALUS PLUMOSUS
Family and Genus:- See- DIPSACACEAE
Common Names:- None
Homotypic Synonyms:- Dipsacus plumosus, Knautia plumosa, Scabiosa
plumosa.
Meaning:- Pterocephalus (Gr) Winged-head (the appearence of the senescent
flower-heads)
Plumosus (L) Feathery
General description:- Erect, sparingly branched annual,
Stems:-
1) 20-50 cm tall, sparsely glandular and eglandular-pubescent throughout.
Leaves:-
1) Lower, petiolate; blade narrowly elliptical, serrate.
2) Upper, simple or pinnatifid with linear lobes.
Or
1) Leaves 3-15 × 0·5-5 cm, oblong, crenate-dentate, or lyrate or pinnatisect.
2) Terminal lobe, large, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, dentate or crenate;
3) Lateral lobes, small, linear.
Flowers:-
1) Capitula, campanulate.
2) Phyllaries, c. 8, equalling or somewhat shorter than the flowers, lanceolate,
acute.
3) Corolla, 12-18 mm, pink or purplish.
4) Involucral bracts, 12-20 × 2·5-4 mm, narrowly ellipsoid to cylindrical, sulcate,
whitish with greenish ribs, without a corona.
5) Calyx, 9-11 mm, with 11-12 plumose setae free almost to the base. pale
brownish-purple.
6) Involucel tube, with a toothed margin, the corona and internal collar absent.
Key features:-
1) Stem, 20-50 cm tall, with several well spaced leaves.
2) Involucel tube, with a toothed margin, the corona and internal collar absent.
Habitat:- Dry meadows, olive groves, dry gravelly habitats, roadsides, open
coniferous woodland 0-900(-1500) m, on limestone or conglomerate.
Distribution:- Scattered throughtout Greece. - Balkan Peninsula, Cyrenaica,
Cyprus and widspread in SW Asia. Widespread and common across Crete
Flowering time:- Apri to early July.
Photos by:- Steve Lenton
