Asteraceae
Dittrichia

Dittrichia graveolens (L.) Greuter

First published in Exsicc. Genav. Conserv. Bot. Distrib. Fasc. 4: 71 (1973)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Medit. to W. Himalaya. It is an annual and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. & Hind, D. J. N. (Eds). (2019). Flora of Iraq, Volume 6: Compositae.Kew Publishing

Morphology General Habit
Strong-smelling annual herb with many ascending slender branches from about mid- stem, becoming woody, (0.1–)0.3–1 m tall, densely clothed with short glandular and long simple hairs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves numerous; median cauline leaves sessile, narrowly oblanceolate to linear, 1.5–5 × 1–8 mm, entire or with distant small teeth; upper cauline and branch leaves rapidly reducing
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence forming the branched upper half of the plant, its primary branches spreading out at 30–60o from the main stem with secondary branches arise from these in robust plants
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula in racemes on stem and branches, borne singly on short peduncles or sessile, in either case subtended by one or more leaf-like bracts; involucre funnel-shaped, 7–12 mm in diameter; phyllaries green and glandular centrally, increasing in length and in width of the scarious margin from the outer to the inner; inner phyllaries linear-lanceolate, 6–7 mm, hyaline apart from a narrow green median strip; all phyllaries reflexed after fruit fall
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Female florets 6–8, ray c. 2 mm long, shortly emergent; central florets hermaphrodite, 3 mm long; all florets frequently drying purplish
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes obovoid, grey, c. 2 × 0.6 mm, pubescent; pappus bristles c. 3.5 mm, whitish to pinkish.
Ecology
In moist, at least sometimes saline clay soil; alt. ±10 m;
Phenology
flowering & fruiting: Oct.-Dec.
Distribution
Occasional, sometimes abundant, in the southern alluvial plain of Iraq and on the adjacent desert. S Europe from Portugal to Turkey, Aegean Is., Cyprus, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, N Africa (Tunisia to Morocco).
[FIQ]

Uses

Use
Said by Guest (1933) to be used locally in the treatment of eye diseases.
[FIQ]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Iraq

    • Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. (Eds). (2013-2019). Flora of Iraq, Volumes 5.1, 5.2 and 6.0. Kew Publishing
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images