| Cirsium libanoticum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Spermatophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Cirsium |
| Section: | Cirsium sect. Cirsium |
| Species: | C. libanoticum |
| Binomial name | |
| Cirsium libanoticum DC. (1838) | |
Cirsium libanoticum is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae.[1] Belonging to the genus Cirsium (known as plume thistles), the species is an herbaceous perennial or biennial plant native to temperate mountain habitats, woodlands, and riparian margins spanning across the Eastern Mediterranean, and parts of Western and Central Asia.[2][3] First formally cataloged in 1838, the taxon comprises three recognized geographic subspecies defined by subtle morphological and ecological differences.[2]
Taxonomy and naming
The species was first scientifically described and published in January 1838 by the Swiss systematic botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle.[1] The formal diagnosis was featured within the sixth volume of his historical botanical work, Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis.[1] Within the internal classification of the genus, it is placed in Cirsium section Cirsium.[3]
In 1975, the British botanists Peter Hadland Davis and Margaret Jill Parris carried out a critical revision of the genus for the Flora of Turkey, establishing the modern infraspecific boundaries by reducing related standalone species and varieties to subspecies level under C. libanoticum.[2]
The generic name Cirsium traces back to the Ancient Greek word κίρσιον (kirsion), a term used by Dioscorides to refer to a type of thistle traditionally deployed as a herbal remedy for swollen veins. The specific epithet libanoticum is a geographical descriptor signifying its historical collection from the Mount Lebanon ranges.
Description
Cirsium libanoticum is a robust herbaceous thistle that develops erect, branched stems covered in protective wings or spines, reaching variable heights depending on the regional subspecies. Its vegetative growth consists of alternate, simple leaves that are deeply pinnatifid to lobed, with each segment terminating in sharp, stiff prickles. The inflorescence consists of composite flower heads (capitula) that are typical for the tribe Cardueae.[3] The flower heads are enclosed by multi-layered involucral bracts that are often laced with thin, web-like hairs (arachnoid pubescence).[4] The individual disk florets are tubular and vary in color from pale pink or purple to whitish-cream tones. Following fertilization, the ovaries ripen into dry achenes equipped with a feathery plumose pappus designed for wind dispersal.
Subspecies and distribution
The native distribution of Cirsium libanoticum is primarily centered on the Near East, with a geographic footprint extending across southern and central Turkey (Anatolia), Syria, Lebanon, northeastern Iraq, Iran, and Turkmenistan.[3] Three distinct subspecies are currently recognized:
- Cirsium libanoticum subsp. libanoticum – The nominate subspecies. It is widely distributed across Inner, Northern, Southeastern, and Southwestern Anatolia, extending directly southward through the mountain chains of Syria and Lebanon.[3]
- Cirsium libanoticum subsp. arachnoideum P.H.Davis & Parris (1975) – An Eastern Mediterranean element that grows mostly inside southern and southwestern Turkey and adjacent Syrian coastal mountains. It colonizes openings within Pinus forests, calcareous slopes, and rocky or chalky substrates at altitudes ranging between 500 and 1,650 m (1,640 and 5,410 ft).[4]
- Cirsium libanoticum subsp. lycaonicum (Boiss. & Heldr.) P.H.Davis & Parris (1975) – Natively restricted to the central regions of Anatolia, Turkey. It was originally described in the 19th century as a distinct standalone species, Cirsium lycaonicum, by Edmond Boissier and Theodor von Heldreich before its reclassification as a specialized regional subspecies.[3]
References
Citations
- De Candolle 1838, p. 647.
- Davis & Parris 1975, p. 430.
- Yıldız, Dirmenci & Arabacı 2016, p. 65.
- Yıldız et al. 2018, p. 10.
Bibliography
- De Candolle, Augustin Pyramus (1838). Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis. Vol. 6. Paris: Treuttel et Würtz.
- Davis, Peter Hadland; Parris, Margaret Jill (1975). "Materials for a Flora of Turkey XXXI: Compositae, Cirsium". Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. 33 (3): 429–433.
- Yıldız, Bayram; Dirmenci, Tuncay; Arabacı, Turhan (2016). "A taxonomic revision of the genus Cirsium Mill. sect. Cirsium (Asteraceae: Cardueae) in Turkey". Phytotaxa. 275 (2): 61–85. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.275.2.1.
- Yıldız, Gülşah; Özcan, Süleyman; Arabacı, Turhan; Dirmenci, Tuncay; Yıldız, Bayram (2018). "Chromosome counts and karyotype analysis of some representatives of genus Cirsium Mill. (Asteraceae) in Turkey". Caryologia. 71 (1): 8–18. doi:10.1080/00087114.2018.1447630.
Further reading
- Nouroozi, Maryamsadat; Sheidai, Masoud; Attar, Farideh; Noormohammadi, Zahra (2010). "Contribution to cytotaxonomy of Iranian Cirsium (Asteraceae)". Cytologia. 75 (1): 119–127. doi:10.1508/cytologia.75.119.