Flora

Ismelia carinata (Schousb.) Sch.Bip. / Homotypic Synonyms: Chrysanthemum carinatum Schousb., it is an annual herb. Stem, the aerial part is generally erect, simple or distally branched, average height 10-30 cm. Leaves mostly cauline, sessile (hugging the stem) or petiolate, are arranged alternately and have a 2-pinnate-lobed blade with terminal margins that are usually toothed, rarely entire. The blade contour is obovate or oblong. The surfaces are glabrous. Leaf size, 25–50 × 15–30 mm. Inflorescence consist of solitary or 2-3 flower heads gathered in a loose corymb-like formation, the inflorescences themselves consist of a terminal, radiate, pedunculated flower head. The flower heads consist of a meniscoid to hemispherical involucre, composed of 20-30 bracts, within which a receptacle serves as the base for two types of flowers. Ray florets and disk florets. The bracts, ranging in shape from ovate or obovate to lanceolate-deltate or lanceolate and more or less keeled, have a herbaceous consistency, are broadly hyaline on the margins and have resin canals, and are arranged in a more or less imbricated fashion in 2-4 rows. The convex receptacle lacks the straws that envelop the base of the flowers. Involucre diameter: 12-25 mm. The flowers are tetra-cyclic (i.e., formed by 4 whorls: calyx – corolla – androecium – gynoecium) and pentamerous (calyx and corolla formed by 5 elements). They are divided into: Ray florets (outer): 13 to 21 per flower head, female, fertile, and arranged in a row; the shape is ligulate (zygomorphic); sometimes they may be absent or sterile. Disc florets (central): They are more numerous (80-150) with short tubular shapes (actinomorphic); they are hermaphroditic and fertile. Calyx: The sepals of the calyx are reduced to a crown of scales. Corolla: Ray florets: The shape of the corolla is more or less tubular-funnel-shaped at the base, while it is ligulate at the apex; the ligule may end with some teeth; the color is generally yellow or white. Disc flowers: The shape is tubular, abruptly dividing into five lobes; the lobes, patent or erect, are delta-shaped or more or less lanceolate; the color is red or purple. Androecium: is composed of five stamens (alternating with the corolla lobes) supported by generally free filaments; the stamens are connate and form a sleeve surrounding the style. The anthers, with a collar of baluster-like filaments, can be either basifixed or medifixed. The endothecial tissue (inner lining of the anther) is almost always non-polarized. The pollen is spherical with an average diameter of approximately 25 microns; it is tricolporate (with three openings, either slit-like or isodiametric or pore-like) and echinate (with protruding tips). Gynoecium: The ovary is inferior, unilocular, and consists of two carpels. The style (the pollen receptor) is deeply bifid (with two divergent stigmas) and has separate or contiguous marginal stigmatic lines. The two arms of the style are truncated and may be papillose or covered with tufts of hairs. The fruits are achenes with pappus. In some species, there is a certain dimorphism between the achenes of the external ligulate florets (trigonal with three wings) and the tubular ones of the central disc (lattice with one or two wings). The apex is rounded at the margins or has a small crown. The pericarp lacks mucilaginous cells and resin sacs.

Al-Jafarah Plain:  Sabratha 2019  Sabratha region 2020

Sirte Plains:  Wadi Soofejeen 2017

Benghazi Plain:  Msus-Al-Ajramia zone 2004

Jabal Nafusa:  Msallata (Shaafeen) 2008  Msallata National Park (Shaafeen) 2013  Msallata (Shaafien) 2017  Msallata-Garaboulli Province 2020

Al-Jabal Al-Akhder:  Al-Abiar (Sidi Amohamed forest) 2020

Marmarica Plateau:  From Tobruk to Egyptian Border 1999  Marmarica (north-eastern part of Libya) 2002  Dafna region (Tobruk to Msaid) 2008

Introduced in Libya???, cultivated as an ornamental plant; often found as an escape on refuse dumps.

Link of images: https://www.teline.fr/en/photos/asteraceae/ismelia-carinata,   https://www.plantarium.ru/lang/en/page/view/item/69361.html

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:226246-1,   https://www.ipni.org/n/226246-1,   http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000029852,   https://www.gbif.org/species/3091997,  https://africanplantdatabase.ch/en/nomen/specie/138020/ismelia-carinata-schousb-sch-bip,   https://www.plantarium.ru/lang/en/page/view/item/69361.html,  https://hortflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/taxon/ada53d2a-5340-11e7-b82b-005056b0018f,  https://www.teline.fr/en/photos/asteraceae/ismelia-carinata,   https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismelia_carinata