Flora

Centaurea glomerata Vahl, it is a rosulate annual herb with numerous, sessile or sub sessile yellowish capitula clustered in the center, lateral branches from the base of the capitula cluster spreading, procumbent, hairy, fistular, almost naked or with 1-2 leaves and a terminal rosette, of leaves subtending a cluster of the capitula. Leaves of the rosette long petiolate, up to 180 mm long and 50 mm broad, linear-oblanceolate in outline pinnatisect with lobes linear-oblong, obtuse, entire, serrate or incised toothed to pinnatifid. Cauline leaves when present similar to the leaves of the rosette, not decurrent. Leaves subtending the cluster of the capitulum 70 x 10 mm, oblanceolate, long petiolate, acute, entire to toothed incised. Capitula non-radiate, yellow, usually subtended by a leaf; subtending leaf 25 x 3 mm, linear-obovate, long petiolate, margins incised toothed; teeth and apex mucronulate. Involucres 10-12 x 6 mm, (exclude, spines), ovate. Involucral bracts coriaceous, not distinctly ribbed. Involucral bracts of the outer most row 6 x 2.25 mm, broadly ovate. hairy al margins and al the back. acuto-acuminate; acumin somewhat stiff. up to 2.25 mm long. Involucral bracts of the sub outer-most row 5 x 1.5 mm, ovate, with margins and apical appendages hyaline, scarious; coriaceous part raised from the middle forming c. 2.5-3 mm spinules; spinules with two lateral projections. Involucral bracts of the 2nd row 5 x 1.5 mm. ovate, margins up to 0.25 wide, hyaline, scarious, crenuculate or irregularly toothed near the apices; appendage coriaceous, with margins weakly scarious, unequally 5-6 spiny; spines soft, whitish or brownish; lateral spines up to 1.75 mm, median spine up to 2 mm. Involucral bracts of the 3rd row 6 x 2 mm, similar to the preceding in texture, margins, appendages etc. Involucral bracts of the 4th row 8 x 3 mm, sometimes middle part slightly brownish, otherwise similar to the preceding in texture, margins and appendages etc., appendages reflexed. Involucral bracts of the 5th row & 6th row up to 11 x 4 mm, similar to the preceding; the appendages of the 6th involucral bracts strongly reflexed. Involucral bracts of the 7th row 13 x 3 mm, oblong, coriaceous with margins up to 0.25 mm wide, hyaline, membranous, near the apices crenuculate and papillate; appendages coriaceous, brownish, reflexed, with 9-10 spines. Involucral bracts of the 8th row 13 x 2.5 mm, linear-oblong, margins scarious; appendages brownish, coriaceous, with broad, hyaline membranous, decurrent margins, reflexed, with 8-9 spines. Involucral bracts of the 91h row 11 x2 mm, similar to the preceding, but the brownish coriaceous part of the appendages very narrow and hyaline margins infolded. mucronulate; mucro directed backwards. Inner most involucral bract 11 x 1.5 mm linear, with appendages nearly hyaline, membranous. Cypsela 2.25 x 1 mm, (exclude, . pappus), blackish, minutely and sparsely hairy, shining; pappus 1.75 mm, white; setae scabrid.

Al-Jafarah Plain:

Near Tripoli Airport 1970   Sabrath 2008  Sabratha 2019   Sabratha region 2020

Zliten-Misurata Plain:

Leptus Megna 2004  Kaam area 2005  Zliten (Wadi EL-Zekr) 2022

Benghazi Plain:

Reported from Benghazi by Keith

Jabal Nafusa:

Reported fromKussbat, Gharian by Keith  Sharshara, Wadi Kaam 1978  Misallata (Shaafeen) 2008  Msallata (Shaafien) 2017  Msallata-Garaboulli Province 2020   Gharyan (Sedrores Mountains) 2020  Wadi Kaam (Main course, Headwaters) 2022

Marmarica Plateau:

Reported from Tobruk by Keith  Marmarica (north-eastern part of Libya) 2002

Wild in Libya, in the pre-desert area.

Link of images: https://www.orchid-nord.com/Flore-Djerba/Centaurea%20glomerata/Centaurea-glomerata.html,  https://www.tela-botanica.org/isfan-nn-136632-illustrations,  https://www.plantarium.ru/lang/en/page/view/item/83128.html

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:190579-1,   https://www.ipni.org/n/190579-1,  http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000070577,  https://www.gbif.org/species/8396777,  https://africanplantdatabase.ch/en/nomen/specie/136686/centaurea-glomerata-vahl,   https://www.orchid-nord.com/Flore-Djerba/Centaurea%20glomerata/Centaurea-glomerata.html,  https://www.tela-botanica.org/isfan-nn-136632-illustrations,   https://www.plantarium.ru/lang/en/page/view/item/83128.html