Apiaceae
Prangos

Prangos pabularia Lindl.

First published in Quart. J. Sci. Lit. Arts 10: 7 (1825)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Afghanistan to Central Asia and W. Himalaya. It is a perennial 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 (Eds). (2014) Flora of Iraq, Volume 5 Part 2: Lythraceae to Campanulaceae.

Morphology General Habit
Tall, robust, 0.3–1 m, corymbosely branched above, the upper branches opposite or the terminal verticillate
Morphology Stem
Stem and branches striate, subterete, all vegetative parts glabrous or scabrid
Morphology Leaves
Lower leaves large, to 45 cm, petiolate, broadly deltoid-ovate in outline, pinnately decomposite into linear-setaceous, mucronate, 5–25 × 0.5–1 mm segments Upper leaves sessile, broadly deltoid, similarly dissected; sheaths short, broadly expanded, striate, firm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles
Peduncles 4–13 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Umbels many, rays 5–15(–20), unequal, length 2–7 cm in fruit Partial umbels 10–15(–20)-flowered, flowers ± 3.5 mm in diameter, fruiting pedicels 5–15 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre
Involucre and involucel of 6–8 lanceolate, caducous bracts and bracteoles, the latter long, occasionally equalling pedicels
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit oblong, 8–16(–24) × 4–12 mm, including wings; wings of primary ridges very pale, much undulate-crisped, undulations of adjoining ridges meshing considerably across the valleculae, which may be completely obscured by wings and the large irregular papillae with which the primary ridges are clothed below the base of wings
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Styles 3–4 mm, deflexed or flexuose; stylopodia horizontal, depressed.
Ecology
On mountain sides, sometimes among Quercus woods; alt. 1150–1800 m
Phenology
Flowering and fruiting: May–Jul.
Distribution
Occasional in the upper forest zone of Iraq. Turkey (C & S Anatolia), Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, C Asia (Tian Shan), N India (Kashmir), W Tibet.
Vernacular
BIJAN (Kurd.-Penjwin, Rawi 12243) cf. BEJĀN (the name of a fodder grass, Wahby & Edmonds, 1966); ?KUWAIRIK (Kurd.-Rowanduz, Rawi 13835).
[FIQ]

Uses

Use
As mentioned by Guest (1933) P. pabularia is recognised as a hay plant in Tibet where it is of great value in the cold arid mountain regions that cannot support better pasture. Watt (1892) examined the records of a number of veterinary surgeons and others who had travelled or resided in Kashmir and Afghanistan and concluded that the plant provides a highly nutritive fodder for sheep and goats. He found that the medicinal properties of its fruit, which was readily obtainable in the local bazaars, were widely recognised and in particular that it had a curative effect on animals affected by the liver fluke. He mentions however that horses which had partaken of the fruit were said to have suffered severely from inflammation of the eyes and even some from temporary blindness. Uphof (1968) lists its medicinal properties as stimulant, carminative, diuretic, stomachic and emmenagogue; it is reputed to promote the expulsion of the foetus in childbirth. According to Fedchenko & Schischkin (1950) there are two forms of this plant one of which cattle will not eat, though the morphological differences between them are so small that it can only be detected in nature. They state that chemical analysis of the two forms (which A. Koroleva names as subsp. schirin and subsp. tez respectively) revealed that, whereas the former which was sweet and edible yielded only 0.01% of a crude mixture of alkaloids, the latter – the bitter inedible form – yielded ten times that amount of alkaloids ((0.1%).
[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