Brassica deserti Danin & Hedge

Family: Brassicaceae

General Appearance

Brassica deserti Danin & Hedge, it is an annual or short-lived perennial bristly herb that forms rosette-bearing plants with erect floral scapes typically reaching 15-60 cm in height. The plant is branched from the base, producing nearly round, grayish-green stems that are densely covered in weak, spreading villous hairs measuring 0.5–2 mm long, contributing to its distinctive bristly indumentum that differentiates it from related species. This indumentum extends to the petiolate leaves, which are spreading-villous and primarily lyrate in shape. Basal rosette leaves feature a large ovate terminal lobe (up to 5 × 5.5 cm) with two sub opposite lateral lobes (0.5–1 cm long) and unequally crenate or bi-crenate margins, while middle and upper cauline leaves are smaller, 7–10 × 3–6 mm, and may be lyrate or entire with obscure pinnate venation. The flowers of are arranged in a corymbose raceme that elongates after anthesis, typically bearing 20-40 flowers with villous, filiform pedicels measuring 5-10 mm long. The sepals are patent and villulosa with a few glandular hairs; the outer sepals measure 5 × 1 mm, while the inner sepals are twice as wide at 5 × 2 mm, featuring a slightly saccate base. Petals are yellow, glabrous, and clawed, reaching 14 mm in length with an obovate lamina of 8 × 4 mm attenuating into a 6 × 0.7 mm. The fruits are heteroarthrocarpous siliques, terete and biconvex in cross-section with unkeeled, sub-membranaceous valves featuring a prominent median nerve and constrictions between seeds; they measure 2.2-5 cm long and 2 mm wide, with a stipe up to 1 mm at the base and an attenuate beak of 3-5 mm that is indehiscent and seedless (rarely 1-seeded). The proximal segment is dehiscent and many-seeded (ovary 20-26-ovulate), while seeds are globose, brown, nearly smooth, 1 mm in diameter, and arranged uniseriately in one row with longitudinally conduplicate cotyledons. 

Life Form

H

Phytochoria

SA. The native range of this species is Egypt (N. Sinai).

Distribution in Libya

Al-Jabal Al-Akhder:  El-Hamamah to Biada 2003

Notes

Wild in Libya.???

Link of images:  https://www.gbif.org/species/3042525

First: Encyclopedia Flora of Libyan:

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

Al-Sodany, Y. M., Shehata, M. N. & Shaltout, K. H. (2003): Vegetation along an elevation gradient in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya. ecologia mediterranea, tome 29, fascicule 2, 2003, p. 125-138. https://www.persee.fr/doc/ecmed_0153-8756_2003_num_29_2_1547https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yassin-Al-Sodany, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kamal-Shaltout

Vegetation along an elevation gradient in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya. 2003

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