Centaurea sphaerphoceala L.

Common Name: Bla’ala.
Family: Asteraceae
Flowering Time: May

General Appearance

Centaurea sphaerphoceala L., it is perennial plant, creeping plant, up to 100 cm tall, villous, somewhat woolly. Stems decumbent, simple or branched, not winged. Leaves with spinulose teeth, the lower ones lyrate-pinnatisect, petiolate; the upper ones pinnatilobate or toothed, sessile, auriculate-amplexicaul, not decurrent. Capitula terminal, solitary, sessile, with involucral leaves. Involucre ovoid or sub globose; bracts imbricate, glabrescent, the middle ones with a palmate, spiny, non-decurrent, spreading or reflexed, straw-colored apical appendage with 7 to 9 divergent spines arranged in a row, the central one slightly longer than the lateral ones, very stinging. Flowers tubular, pink, the outer ones neuter, almost as long as the inner ones, radiate. Cypsela c. 5 mm. whitish with brown spots, silky hairy, outer ones epappose, inner ones with short, scabrid pappus.

Life Form

Ch-H

Phytochoria

MED. The native range of this species is Madeira, W. & SW. Portugal to Italy.

Distribution in Libya

Zliten-Misurata Plain:

Lepptis Magna 1974  Leptus Magna 2017

Benghazi Plain:

Wadi El-Ghattara 2010  Ajdabia (Al-Bedan) 2016, 2017   Wadi El-Enaghar 2021

Jabal Nafusa:

Msallata (Shaafeen) 2008   Msallata National Park (Shaafeen) 2013  Tarhuna (Msaaed, Msabha) 2018   Msallata-Garaboulli Province 2020

Ghat area:

Ghat (Between Acacus and Tassili Mountains) 2004   Wadi Tanezzuft 2012

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:

Omar, N., El-Mghrbi, N.G., Rahil, R.O., Alaib, M.A., Alzerbi, A.K. (2021) Floristic Composition and Plant Diversity of Western Part of Wadi El- Enaghar, Libya. Species-22(70), 2021. pp. (204-217). http://www.discoveryjournals.org/Species/current_issue/2021/v22/n70/index.htm, http://www.discoveryjournals.org/Species/current_issue/2021/v22/n70/A4.pdf

Mahklouf, M.H., Sherif, A.S., Betelmal, A.G. (2020) Floristic Study and Species Diversity of Msallata-Garaboulli Province in Libya. J. of Advanced Botany and Zoology Volume 7 / Issue 3 ISSN: 2348-7313. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohammed-Mahklouf, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341306643_Floristic_Study_and_Species_Diverisy_of_Msallata-Garaboulli_Province_in_Libya

Floristic Study and Species Diverisy of Msallata-Garaboulli Province. 2020

Mahklouf, M.H. Sherif, A.S, Betelmal, A. G. (2018) Floristic Study for Tarhuna-Libya. Hacettepe J. Biol. & Chem, 2018, 46 (3), 337-364.  http://www.hjbc.hacettepe.edu.tr/journal/volume-46/issue-3/floristic-study-for-tarhuna-libya/index.html

Floristic Study for Tarhuna–Libya. 2018

Bahri, N.M. (2017) Identify, Limit and Determine the Vegetation Types of Wadi Ka’am Areas, Libya. Journal of Marine Sciences and Environmental Technologies-Volume (3) -Issue (2) (In Arabic) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371282756_altrf_ly_alanwa_alnbatyt_lmnatq_wady_kam_whsrha_wthdyd_ashkal_nmwha

التعرف على الانواع النباتية لمناطق وادي كعام وحصرها وتحديد أشكال نموها. 2017 .

Bou-Gharsa, Saleh, A. & Al Sheikhi, S. K. (2017) A study on the diversity of vegetation covers in El-Beidan and El-Glidaya protected areas in Ajdabiya. Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering JESE, VOL. 1. (In Arabic) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/salh-alshykhy, https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/salh-tyt-bwghrst-2320557670, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343934906_drast_hwl_tnw_alghta_alnbaty_bmhmyty_albydan_w_aljlydayh_bmdynt_ajdabya

دراسة حول تنوع الغطاء النباتي بمحميتي البيضان والجليداية بمدينة اجدابيا. 2017

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

Al-Masalati, N. A. A. (2013) Plant diversity across the altitudes of the Msallata National Park Reserve Mountains. Master Thesis. Botany Department-College of Science-University of Benghazi-Libya. (In Arabic).

Mukassabi, T.A, Ahmidat, G., Sherif, I.M., ELMogasapi, A. (2012) Checklist and life forms of plant species in contrasting climatic zones of Libya. Biological Diversity and Conservation – 5 / 3 (2012) https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/biodicon/issue/55888/765799

Checklist and life forms of plant species in contrasting climatic zones of Libya. 2012

El-Rabiai, G.T., Al tira, F.M., Lamlom, S.H. (2010) Preliminary Checklist for the Flora of Wadi El Ghattara in Libya. Garyounis University Press Journal of Science and Its Applications Vol. 4, No. 1, pp 39-47, December 2010. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Wz8jpkIAAAAJ&hl=ar, https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ALTsoucAAAAJ&hl=en,   https://journals.uob.edu.ly/index.php/sjuob/issue/view/71

Checklist for the Flora of Wadi El Ghattara in Libya. 2010

Mohammed, S.A.H. (2008) A taxonomic and ecological study of the plants of the Shaafin Reserve in Masalatah. Master Thesis. Department of Biology-Faculty of Arts and Sciences-Al-Mirqab University. Al-Khums. Libya. (In Arabic).

Ahmidat, Gh. (2004) Study of the vegetation cover of the area between the Acacus Mountains and the Tassili Mountains (Ghat). Master Thesis. Department of Botany.College of Science. Sebha University. Libya. (In Arabic).

 

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