TURGENIA LATIFOLIA

Family and Genus:- See- UMBELLIFERAE

Common Names:- Greater bur-parsley

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Turgenia (L) For Alexander Turgenev, Chancellery Director to Prince

Gollintzin, in Russia

Latifolia (L) With broad leaves.

General description:- Erect, sparingly branched annual.

Stem:-

1) Up to 20-50 cm, whole plant ± setose.

Leaves:-

1) 1-pinnate, with oblong-lanceolate, incised-serrate leaflets.

Flowers:-

1) Umbels, terminal on long-peduncles.

2) Rays, 2-3(-5), stiff, spreading.

3) Bracts and bractlets, 4-6, enclosing the young inflorescence, elliptical to broadly

lanceolate, with wide scarious margins.

4) Pedicels, very short.

5) Petals, usually purplish,

a) outer, somewhat radiate, wider than long.

Fruit:-

1) 8-12 mm, ellipsoid, densely covered with papillose glochidiate spines.

Click here for a glossary of terms used

Habitat:- Weed of cereal fields and vineyards, occasionally along roads or in dry

open shrubby vegetation on hillslopes. 0-1100 m.

Distribution:- Throughout mainland Greece, especially it the north. Widespread in

Europe, the Mediterranean area and SW Asia, Unrecorded from Crete since the

1930's, but Erwin Bergmeier found it in 2009 on Omalos plain and on Katharo plain.

It is currently recorded only from four locations on Crete. Very rare.

Flowering time:- Apr-June

Photos by:- Steve Lenton