Apiaceae
Torilis

Torilis leptocarpa (Hochst.) C.C.Towns.

First published in Kew Bull. 17: 434 (1963 publ. 1964)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. Türkiye to N. Iran. It is an annual 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
Erect annual, 30–55 cm
Morphology Stem
Stem terete, finely striate, very thinly furnished with downwardly strigulose hairs, with long ascending branches from near the base or above only
Morphology Leaves
Leaves bi- to subtri-pinnate, deeply cut into short, narrowly lanceolate, 2–4 × 0.6–1 mm subacute segments, thinly appressed-hairy; lower leaves with a petiole to 4 cm long, lamina deltoid-oblong, the upper more pronouncedly deltoid; sheaths narrow, with narrow whitish margins
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Umbels few to many, leaf-opposed, on 3–12(–15) cm peduncles longer than the subtending leaf or terminal, with (3–)6–9(–12) thinly appressed-hairy, subequal, 1.5–3(– 3.5) cm rays Partial umbels 8–15-flowered, pedicels unequal, mostly 2–6 mm, some as long as the fruit but central fruit ± sessile with shorter spines than the remainder
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre
Involucre absent or of a single linear bract
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Involucel of about 8 subulate bracteoles, shorter than or subequalling the outer pedicels
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers white, petals persistent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit linear, ± 6 × 1 mm, calyx teeth small, secondary ridges with ± 12 whitish glochidiate spines 2 × as long as the diameter of mericarps and uniseriate or irregularly biseriate. Primary ridges with 1 or 2(–3) rows of longitudinally appressed hairs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Styles ± 1.5 mm, slender, divaricate.
Ecology
On a disturbed hill slope, lately quarried, in Quercus woodland, in a low mountain valley and on steppic plain, on irrigated land; alt. (± 5–) 400–900 m
Phenology
Flowering and fruiting: June.
Distribution
Rather rare in Iraq; found in the lower forest zone, moist steppe zone and on alluvial plain in the desert region. Syria, Turkey (E Anatolia), N Iran.
[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 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