Flora

Carduus pycnocephalus L.

Family: Asteraceae

Flowering Time: Mar-Apr.

General Appearance

Carduus pycnocephalus L.//Infraspecifics: Carduus pycnocephalus ssp. pycnocephalus, it is an annual, up to 5-80 cm, erect, arachnoid hairy or greyish tomentose specially in the upper parts. Stems with interrupted wings; wings up to 5 mm wide, triangular, spinose and spinulose at margins; apical spines up to 5 mm. Mid-cauline leaves oblanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, pinnatilobed to pinnatipartite, sparsely hairy above, arachnoid or canescent-tomentose beneath; lobes 2-5 pairs, broadly triangular, palmately incised or veined, with apical spines up to 12 mm. Capitula (11-) 15-20 x 7-13 mm, cylindrical or cylindrical-campanulate, 2-3 (-5) clustered, sub sessile or solitary at top of spinulose stem or on up to 4 cm long, naked peduncles, Involucre tomentose arachnoid or glabrescent. Involucral bracts 30-45, adpressed or recurved, green (inner ones sometimes purplish at the apex). Outer & middle involucral bracts ovate lanceolate, keeled at the back in the upper half. Middle involucral bracts sometimes constricted into a distal, ± lanceolate prolongation which ± equals the proximal part. Inner involueral bracts 1 3̸4 times as long as the middle one, finally 3-ribbed in the distal half, margins and lips scarious. Florets purple or pink, erect, slightly longer than the involucre. Corolla 10-14 mm, sub equally lobed; lobes 4·5 (-6) mm. Cypsela 3-4 (-5) mm, compressed, smooth; umbo small, clavate, entire.

Life Form

Phytochoria

MED+IT. The native range of this species is Macaronesia, Europe to W. Pakistan and Arabian Peninsula, N. Africa.

Distribution in Libya

Zliten-Misurata Plain:

Zliten (Wadi EL-Zekr) 2022

Sirte Plains:

Sirte 2015, 2016

Benghazi Plain:

Ajdabia (Al-Bedan) 2016

Al-Jabal Al-Akhder:

Soltan to Marawa 1970 Wadi (Valley) Stowah region 2007 Wadi Derna 2017 Wadi Al-Kouf 2021

Marmarica Plateau:

Reported in Marmarica north-eastern part of Libya by Pampanini 1930

Notes

Wild in Libya.

Link of images: http://floranelsalento.blogspot.com/2012/01/blog-post_3483.html, https://dryades.units.it/floritaly/index.php?procedure=taxon_page&tipo=all&id=8284

For more information

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:188996-1, https://www.ipni.org/n/188996-1, http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000024120, https://www.gbif.org/species/3114667, https://africanplantdatabase.ch/en/nomen/specie/136424/carduus-pycnocephalus-l, https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=35788#null, https://dryades.units.it/floritaly/index.php?procedure=taxon_page&tipo=all&id=8284, http://floranelsalento.blogspot.com/2012/01/blog-post_3483.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carduus_pycnocephalus

Bibliographic References

First: Encyclopedia Flora of Libyan:

Jafri, S. M. H. & El-Gadi, A. (1983) Flora of Libya, Asteraceae Vol. (107) Department of Botany, Al-Faateh Univ., Tripoli, Libya.

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

El-Karnawdy, F.O.M. & Swaisy, A.S.M. (2022) Current status of floristic structure in Wadi EL-Zekr, Zliten City, Libya. Middle East International Conference on Contemporary Scientific Studies-VII-Beirut Arab University, Lebanon-March 3-4, 2022. https://www.middleeastconference.org/_files/ugd/614b1f_77fabd66c5054350a95423613bc913b6.pdf

Current status of floristic structure in Wadi EL-Zekr, Zliten City, Libya. 2022

Al-Traboulsi, M. & Alaib, M.A. (2021) A Survey of medicinal plants of Wadi Al-Kouf in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya. NAT. CROAT, VOL. 30. No 2. (389-404), ZAGREB. December 31, 2021. https://hrcak.srce.hr/269442 / https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/390805

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

An-updated-checklist-and-quantitative-analysis-of-the-Marmarica-Plateau-flora-مضغوط

Ab-Aziza, F.B., El–Barasi, Y.M. and Rahil, R.O. (2017) Flora, Vegetation and Human Activities of Wadi Derna-El-Jabal. Research article I Botany l Version 1. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Fatma-Abuaziza, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yacoub-El-Barasi, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rebeh-Rahil

Flora, Vegetation and Human Activities of Wadi Derna. 2017

Elsayed, N. (2016) Relationship between Vegetation and Soil Seed Bank at Protected Versus Unprotected Sites at Coastal Habitats in Libya.CATRINA (2016), 15 (1): 59-68. https://scholar.google.com.eg/citations?user=mSAskW0AAAAJ&hl=en , https://cat.journals.ekb.eg/article_18337_76652686b5c99f5fd479aebab87fbcb4.pdf

Vegetation and Soil Seed Bank at Protected Versus Unprotected Sites at Coastal Habitats in Libya. 2016

El-Zerbi, A. K., Al-Borki, A. S., Al-Aib, M.A. (2016) Study of vegetation in Protected Al-Bedan southeast of Ajdabiya, Libya. Journal of Marine Sciences and Environmental Technologies-No. (2) Volume (2) December 2016. ISSN: 2413-5267(In Arabic) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Abdulhamid-Alzerbi, https://journals.asmarya.edu.ly/jmset/index.php/JMSET/article/view/103, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371283472_drast_alghta_alnbaty_bmhmyt_albydan_jnwb_shrq_ajdabya_lybya

Elsayed M. A. N. (2015) Floristic Composition of the Plant Cover at Surt Region in Libya. Catrina (2015), 12 (1): 63-71-2010 By the Egyptian society for environmental SCIENCES. https://cat.journals.ekb.eg/article_18403_37c687e375b9144800a15704e68ebad7.pdf

Floristic Composition of the Plant Cover at Surt Region in Libya. 2015

Nawras, A. M. B. (2007) A study of the vegetation cover in the Wadi (Valley) Stowah region. Master Thesis. Botany Department-Faculty of Science-Garyounis University-Libya. (In Arabic).