Asteraceae
Ifloga

Ifloga spicata (Forssk.) Sch.Bip.

First published in P.B.Webb & S.Berthelot, Hist. Nat. Iles Canaries 3(2; 2): 310 (1845)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SE. Spain, Macaronesia to India and Arabian Peninsula. It is an annual and grows primarily in the subtropical 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
Annual herb up to 10 cm tall, with a few shorter branches from base
Morphology Leaves
Leaves linear- lanceolate, entire, 10–25 × 0.5–1 mm, appearing narrower due to the inrolled margins, dull green, grey-sericeous to lanate on the (inrolled) lower surface, ± glabrous and sessile- glandular above, sheathing at base, shortly apiculate at apex
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula much exceeded by leaves, ovoid, 3–5 mm long including florets
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Phyllaries
Phyllaries about 19, rhomboid, 2–2.5 mm long, acuminate to acute, scarious, yellow to reddish-brown, slightly concave
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Female florets 2.5 mm long without pappus; style branches rounded apically Bisexual florets about 12, 1.7 mm long, 4–5-lobed, ?fertile, their achenes with pappus, style branches broadly rounded and penicillate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes ovoid to ellipsoidal, 0.7 mm long; pappus of white hairs, plumose above.
Ecology
Sandy gravel soils, sometimes gypsiferous, in the desert and occasionally the subdesert; alt. to 600(–650) m;
Phenology
flowering & fruiting: Mar.-Apr.
Distribution
Common in the desert region of Iraq, very rare in the steppe region and on the irrigated alluvial plain. S Europe (SE Spain), Aegean Is., Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Sinai, Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, N Africa (Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco), Macaronesia (Canary Is.).
Vernacular
HASAJ (Ar. Ghazanfar, l.c.) HASACH (Kuw., Carter who noted: “grazing animals feed on it”; but no colloquial name has as yet been recorded from Iraq).
[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