Flora

Blitum virgatum L.

Common Name: ——-

Family: Amaranthaceae

Flowering Time: Jun-Sept.

General Appearance

Blitum virgatum L. / Homotypic Synonyms: Chenopodium foliosum Asch., it is an annual plant, up to 20-60 cm, glabrous, with erect or spreading stem, whitish branches, stiff, leaves up to the top; lower leaves long-petiolate, oval in heart, the cauline leaves triangular-haste or lanceolate, all edged with large sharp teeth; green flowers, in glomerules all axillary and leaves, spread, globose, red and similar to blackberries when ripe; usually 1 stamen; styles short. Fruit red (sepals becoming red and juicy as they ripen), strawberry-like cluster. Seed approx, 1 mm, seed dull brown, with obtuse and canaliculate margin.

Life Form

Phytochoria

ES+MED+IT. The native range of this species is Central & S. Europe to Nepal

Distribution in Libya

Al-Jafarah Plain:

Reported from Tripoliby Durand & Barratte

Zliten-Misurata Plain:

Misurata 2006

Jabal Nafusa:

Jado, Taramisa, Seffeat, (13 km) before yefren 1974

Al-Jabal Al-Akhader area:

Wadi Al-Agar 1999 Gebel Akhder 2007 Wadi El-Kouf 2014

Marmarica Plateau:

Marmarica (north-eastern part of Libya) 2004

Gabal Al-Uweinat:

Gebel Uweinat 1968

Notes

Wild in Libya.

For more information

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:164548-1, https://www.ipni.org/n/164548-1, https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000601286, https://www.gbif.org/species/5383969, https://africanplantdatabase.ch/en/nomen/specie/131569/blitum-virgatum-l, https://www.preservons-la-nature.fr/flore/taxon/1802.html, https://luontoportti.com/en/t/2711/leafy-goosefoot, https://osogovonature.com/2021/08/02/blitum-virgatum-l/, https://www.florealpes.com/fiche_blitumvirgatum.php, https://www.i-flora.com/en/the-smartphone-apps/iflora-deutschland/species/art/show/blitum-virgatum-1.html, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=240048&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blitum_virgatum

Bibliographic References

First: Encyclopedia Flora of Libyan:

Jafri, S. M. H. & El-Gadi, A. (1978) Flora of Libya, Chenopodiaceae Vol. (58) Department of Botany, Al-Faateh Univ., Tripoli, Libya.

Second: Researches and PhD theses, master theses, Sorted by Newest:

Saaed, M.W.B., EL-Barasi, Y.M. & Rahil, R.O. (2021) An updated checklist and quantitative analysis of the Marmarica Plateau flora, in the north-eastern part of Libya. Phytotaxa 509 (1): 001-055. https://phytotaxa.mapress.com/pt/article/view/phytotaxa.509.1.1

El-Mokasabi, F M. (2014) Floristic Composition and Traditional Uses of Plant Species at Wadi Al-kuf, Al-Jabal Al-Akhder, Libya. American-Eurasian J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 14 (8): 685-697, 2014, ISSN 1818-769,IDOSIPublications,2014DOI:10.5829/idosi.aejaes.2014.14.08.12375. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/441b/23b83960f007044aca94e26f5c6b170fe102.pdf

El-Barasi, Y.M. & Mohammad, J.F. (2007) Comparative Study of the Seed Bank of Arable Land and Natural Vegetation in El-Jabal El-Akhdar Plateau and Coastal Zone. Journal of Science and Its Applications, Garyounis University Press, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp 1-14. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=s_tmeUwAAAAJ&hl=en

Le Houerou H.N. (2004) Plant diversity in Marmarica (Libya and Egypt). A catalogue of the vascular plants reported with their biology, distribution, frequency, usage, economic potential, habitat, and main ecological features, with an extensive bibliography. Candollea. 59:259–308. https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/HN-le-Houerou-62785096

Al-Hamadi R.I. (1999) Floristic and ecological study of wadi Al-Agar, Master Thesis, Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Botany Department-Faculty of Science-Garyounis University, Benghazi, Libya. (In Arabic)