Flora

Carduncellus eriocephalus Boiss. / Homotypic Synonyms: Carthamus eriocephalus (Boiss.) Greuter, it is a perennial herb, up to 10-20 (-40) cm, caulescent, whitish or greyish, pubescent hairy. Stem robust, erect, simple rarely few branched, monocephalic. Leaves rigid with 3-5 main nerves, almost up to the apex of the stem. Basal and lower cauline leaves 70-80 x30 mm, (include. spines), pinnatipartite, oblong-obovate, tapered below into a wide petiole; petiole spiny-winged; lateral lobes 4-5 pairs, the terminal lobe widest. with margins and apices spiny; spines yellowish, 2-3 mm long. Cauline leaves sessile, semiamplexicaule or clasping the stem; base pectinate-spiny; limb pinnatifid to pinnatipartite; lobes and apices spiny, Capitula blue to white, sometimes pinkish, 35-45 (-50) mm in diam. and 40-60 mm long, rounded at the bases, surrounded by 1-2 rows of supplementary involucral bracts. Supplementary involucral bracts 40-50 x 15-20 mm (include. spines), somewhat like the upper cauline leaves, linear-ovate in outline, foliaceous, erect-patent, rigid, densely pubescent hairy, apices and margins spiny; spines 5-8 (-10) mm long. Outer most involucral bracts 25-30 x 10-12 mm, deltoid ovate, tapered towards the apices into long acumins, many nerved, densely pubescent hairy; acumins 3-nerved, glabrescent, with 2-3 lateral pairs of spines and terminal spines; spines stiff, brown, 3-4 mm long. Involucral bract of the 2nd row 30-35 x 8-10 mm, oblong ovate, many-nerved, densely pubescent, hairy, in the upper half the margins with 3-5 mm long, 7-9 pairs of ciliolate spinules; apices smooth, spiny; apical spines 7-8 mm long. Involucral bract of the 3rd row 30 x 7 mm, oblong, many-nerved, glabrous-shiny in the lower 1/6, apices with scarious, somewhat circular appendages; appendages with ciliolate, soft setae radiating from the margins. Involucral bracts of the 4th row 32-35 x 5-6 mm, linear-oblong, glabrescent in the lower 1/3, apices with more or less circular, scarious appendages; appendages with numerous ciliolate, soft setae radiating from the margins. Innermost involucral bracts similar to the preceding ones but narrower, Corollas c, 35 mm long; basal tubes 20 mm long, slender, abruptly widening above into more or less tong cylindrical tubes of 16 x 1.5-2 mm; limbs 5-lobed; lobes 8-9 mm long. Cypsela (unripe) 6-7 mm long, brown, angles narrowly scarious winged; pappus up to 13 mm long, setae unequal, whitish or brownish near the base.

Al-Jafarah Plain:  Wadi Al Hira 1970  Sabratha region 2020  Researches Station of Agriculture Faculty, University of Tripoli 2021

Benghazi Plain:  Reported from Ajdabia by pampanini and Keith  Ajdabia (Al-Bedan) 2016  Ajdabia (Al-Bedan), (Al-Jaledia)2017

Jabal Nafusa:  Bughilan, (16 km) from Gharian 1972   Rajban, Omerramal Kabao 1974  Msallata National Park (Shaafeen) 2013  Tarhuna (Terghlat, Wlaad Hammad, Zurgan) 2018  Gharyan (Sedrores Mountains) 2020   Wadi Kaam (Dam & lake, Main course, Headwaters) 2022

Al-Qibla area:  Wadi Nesma region 2009  Wadis South of Mizda 2013

Al-Jufra area:  (98 km) from Hun to Sebha, Wadi Soda 1973  EL-Jufra 2018  Al-Jufra region 2020

Fezzan area:  Reported from Brak, Wadi Zigza Masauda in Fezzan by Keith, Corti

Wild in Libya.

Link of images: https://www.floramaroccana.fr/c.-eriocephalus.html,    https://atlas-sahara.org/Asteraceae/Carthamus%20eriocephalus/Carthamus%20eriocephalus.html,   https://www.teline.fr/en/photos/asteraceae/carthamus-eriocephalus,   http://www.florasilvestre.es/mediterranea/Compositae/Carthamus_eriocephalus.htm

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:70029050-1,  https://www.ipni.org/n/188317-1  https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000126464,  https://www.gbif.org/species/3138224,   https://africanplantdatabase.ch/en/nomen/specie/136505/carthamus-eriocephalus-boiss-greuter,    https://www.teline.fr/en/photos/asteraceae/carthamus-eriocephalus,  https://atlas-sahara.org/Asteraceae/Carthamus%20eriocephalus/Carthamus%20eriocephalus.html,   http://www.florasilvestre.es/mediterranea/Compositae/Carthamus_eriocephalus.htm,   https://www.floramaroccana.fr/c.-eriocephalus.html,  https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/R6L5l