Ammi majus L.

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Conservation

Not Evaluated.

Morphology General Habit

Herb.

Distribution

Introduced in Colombia.

Ecology

Alt. 2030 - 2400 m.

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 2030–2400 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Boyacá, Cundinamarca.

Habit

Herb.

Ecology

Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: shrubland, artificial - terrestrial.

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

Morphology General Habit

Erect, glabrous annual (8–)25–100 cm, stems less stout than those of the preceding species, terete, striate, branched from base

Morphology Branches

Branches long, ascending

Morphology Leaves

Lowest leaves pinnate or pinnate-ternate with few segments, often persisting until flowering time, segments very variable in size, regularly and sharply serrate, oblanceolate to broadly obovate Upper leaves reducing in size, pinnate-ternate to variously pinnatisect, but the narrower segments remaining broadest at or above the middle, and almost always serrate-dentate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Involucral bracts large, pinnatifid, shorter than the rays

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Partial umbels ± 30-flowered; pedicels 2–7(–9) mm, the longer subequalled by the 8–12 linear-subulate, entire bracteoles Umbels somewhat unequally (10–)15–50(–75)-rayed, the rays 2–6 cm, shorter in the centre of umbel, not set on a disk and not closing up together in fruit

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles

Peduncles ± 4–16 cm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit glabrous, ovoid-oblong, 2 mm long, ribs narrow and not prominent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Styles reflexed, slightly shorter than those of A. visnaga, but still exceeding the conical stylopodia.

Ecology

Gravelly hillsides, riverine thickets, along ditches in fields, damp places, weed in fields and gardens, on sandy gravel soils; alt. 50–400 m

Phenology

Flowering and fruiting: Apr.–Jun.

Distribution

Africa (Morocco to Libya), Macaronesia (Madeira, Tenerife), Ethiopia; cultivated and adventive in China. Common in the steppe region of Iraq, and also on irrigated alluvial plain in the desert region. S & Mediterranean Europe (France, Portugal & Spain to Balkans & Greece), Aegean Isles, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, N

Vernacular

Common Bishop’s weed; also Great Ammi (Am.), GARAIR (for GHURAIR), (Ir.-Baghdad district, Guest 2508, Guest & Darwish al-Haidari 2230); ZAND AL-ARŪS (Ir.-Khalis, Lazar 1164); KHAIZARĀN

Note

Baghdad, H. Ahmad 9820). Ibn al-Baitar (c. 1240) mentioned AKHALLA as the name of an umbelliferous plant, the seeds of which were used to make a soothing mouthwash and which LeClerck (1877–83) refers to this species, though the passage seems more likely to refer to A. visnaga, q.v. As regards the present species, a note on a specimen of it communicated to Herb. Kew by E Gouldring in 1929 noted that the plant had been reported as obnoxious and was said to cause an affection to the eyes of animals browsing on it, which led to an opacity of the cornea in their eyes. Guest (1938) noted that the plant was said to be poisonous and to cause blindness in horses which grazed it.

Umbelliferae, C.C. Townsend. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1989

Morphology General Habit

Slender but wiry glabrous annual herb, 0.25–1.2(–1.8) m., with a slender taproot.

Morphology Stem

Stem terete or feebly angled, striate, rather sparingly branched.

Morphology Leaves

Lower leaves (1–)2-pinnate, with up to 3 pairs of stalked pinnae, the pinnae opposite but pinnules frequently alternate; segments oblanceolate to elliptic or broadly obovate, ± 1–7 × 0.4–8 cm., sharply toothed, the teeth with a long, white, fine, whitish mucro, subaristate; petioles ± 4.5–16 cm.; sheaths triangular to oblong, membranous-margined, finely striate, 0.8–1.5 cm.; upper leaves gradually more narrowly divided, more shortly petiolate, the uppermost sessile on the sheaths with linear and remotely toothed segments; more rarely forms occur with all the leaves regularly bipinnate with narrow segments.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Umbels large and showy, on divergent peduncles ± 6–18 cm. long; rays (7–)15–50 or more, slender, ± 2.5–6.5 cm. long; involucre of several bracts, these usually pinnately divided into filiform pale-aristate segments, sometimes simple in dwarfed forms growing in unfavourable conditions; partial umbels ± 18–30-flowered, the pedicels very unequal, ± 1–9 mm.; involucel of ± 8–10 narrow, membranous-margined, subulate bracteoles with a pale terminal arista, the longest usually subequalling the pedicels at anthesis.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals ± 1 mm., white.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruiting calyx obsolete; stylopodia bluntly conical, exceeded by the slender, pale, deflexed styles. Fruit narrowly oblong-elliptic, ± 2–2.5 × 0.75–1 mm., glabrous, when ripe blackish with pale, narrow, prominent ribs.

Figures

Fig. 16.

Habitat

Self-sown exotic; 1650 m.

Distribution

K4 a native of S. Europe, the Mediterranean region, SW. Asia and ? Ethiopia, not infrequent as a casual in northern Europe and elsewhere