Onopordum sirsangense Rech.f.

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

Morphology General Habit

Biennial herb to 70 cm tall, whitish-tomentose below on stem and young leaves, green and thinly arachnoid above, with a few ascending branches, continuously winged with a widely sinuous wing 5–10 mm wide, teeth wide and shallow with short and rather weak terminal spines not exceeding 2 mm

Morphology Leaves

Lower and median cauline leaves thin in texture, broadly oblong–elliptic, 7–15 × 4–7 cm, simple and compound-dentate, larger teeth broad and shallow, thin terminal spine 2–5 mm, margins with shorter spines of variable length Basal leaves of first year plant densely white-tomentose, but soon more loosely arachnoid, broadly elliptical, narrowed and shortly petiolate below, withered at flowering time Upper leaves gradually decreasing but scarcely proportionately narrower, very broadly decurrent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum

Capitula solitary on stem and branches, ovoid to depressed-globose, 2.8–3.5 cm in diameter, green, not at all floccose; phyllaries 6–8-seriate, linear, gradually tapering to apex, all erect and imbricate, very shortly scabrid along margins and on dorsal surface; median phyllaries 12–15 mm long, with a 1–2 mm stramineous apical spine; innermost phyllaries ± 25 mm long with a larger slender apical spine

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 25–28 mm, apparently purple, limb subequalling tube and clothed with minute, sessile, yellowish glands, deeply divided with 7–9 mm lobes

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes 5–5.5 mm, dark brown to blackish; pappus setae short, 10–12 mm, shortly barbellate, white.

Ecology

Only found once in the mountain region of Iraq, on a stony bank below a cliff in a gorge, alt. ± 1200 m.

Phenology

flowering Aug.

Distribution

Turkey (SE Anatolia).