Plumbaginaceae
Acantholimon

Acantholimon venustum Boiss.

First published in Diagn. Pl. Orient. 7: 80 (1846)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Türkiye to Iran and W. Syria. It is a subshrub and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Ghazanfar, S. A. & Edmondson, J. R (Eds). (2014) Flora of Iraq, Volume 5 Part 2: Lythraceae to Campanulaceae.

Morphology General Habit
Laxly caespitose shrublet, forming spiny hemispherical tussocks, short-branched, brownish, the lower part of stem bare or laxly clad with dead leaves
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 50–90 mm, above the leaves Spike simple; rachis straight or slightly flexuous, ± hairy; spikelets 5–10 or sometimes more, distichous or sub-secund
Morphology Leaves
Cauline leaves 3, scalelike, long mucronate, scarious-margined Leaves 20–30 mm long, stiff, distinctly spiny, ± densely white-dotted, narrowly many-veined, flat, margins minutely serrulate, triquetrous towards tip, slightly broadened towards base with narrow membranous margins
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Outer bract 1/3 length of inner bracts; inner bracts oblong, broadly membranous-margined, mucronulate, glabrous, slightly longer than calyx tube
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx ± 15 mm long, broadly funnel-shaped; tube cylindrical, laxly pilose on veins; veins reaching the margin of limb, which is brownish-purple, truncate, obscurely 5-angled, pilose along lower two-thirds of their length
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla deep pink, of almost free petals, joined only at base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments swollen, membranous, connate to spur of petals, longer than styles
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Styles filiform; stigma minutely capitate.
Ecology
Mountain side and on dry hillside, on limestone and sandy soil; alt. 600–1500 m.
Distribution
Very rare; only recorded once from Iraq. Turkey (S, C & E Anatolia), W Syria.
[FIQ]

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]

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 2026. 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 2026. 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