Launaea quercifolia Pamp.
General Appearance
Launaea quercifolia Pamp., it is a small perennial, up to (10-) 15-25 cm. glabrous, very leafy. Root thick, fleshy. Stems branched from the base and in upper part sometimes 2-furcate. Leaves somewhat fleshy, 30-55 x 11-15 mm. obovate to oblong-spathulate in outline, simple toothed to pinnatifid lobed, margin and apex with white, callus teeth. Lower cauline leaves attenuate into a petiole. Mid-cauline leaves sessile, subauriculate to auriculate. Capitula large 1-2.20-25 x 20-22 mm. orange-yellow, nodding on long peduncles before anthesis. Peduncle 4-5 cm. with few peduncular bracts; peduncular bracts 5-8 x 3-5 mm. broadly ovate, acute with a white, callus tip. Involucre 15-18 x 11-14 mm. sub globose. Outer involucral bracts 7-9 x 4-5 mm. broadly ovate to suborbicular, herbaceous with scarcely any scarious marg.in. apex acute with a white, callus appendage. Inner involucral bracts 10-13 x 4-4.5 (-5) mm. oblong ovate, herbaceous acute with white, callus appendage, margins indistinctly or very narrowly scarious membranous. Cypsela up to 3 mm, sub cylindrical, 4-5 ribbed; outer cypsela generally villous or pubescent; inner ones smooth; pappus c. 4 times the size of the cypsela, white, silky.
Life Form
Phytochoria
Distribution in Libya
Jabal Nafusa: (15 km) from Kaleba 1974 (37 km) from Kaleba to Mizda 1976 Msallata (Shaafien) 2017
Al-Qibla area: Wadi Nesma region 2009 Wadis South of Mizda 2013
Notes
Wild in Libya. in desert in pockets of blown sand and in maritime region.
Link of images: https://www.gbif.org/species/3144660
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:
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 .
Mohamed, F.J. (2013) A Taxonomic Study of Wadis Flora South of Mizda at the intersections with Mizda-Sebha Highway. Master Thesis. Department of Botany-Faculty of Science-Sebha University. Libya. (In Arabic).
Bahri, N.M. (2009) Study of the vegetation covers of Wadi Nesma region, northwest of Libya. Master Thesis, Department of Botany, College of Science, Sebha University, Libya. (In Arabic).
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