Launaea in Flora of China @ efloras.org

62. Launaea Cassini in F. Cuvier, Dict. Sci. Nat. 25: 321. 1822.

栓果菊属 shuan guo ju shu

Ammoseris Endlicher; Brachyramphus Candolle; Hexinia H. L. Yang; Lomatolepis Cassini; Microrhynchus Lessing; Paramicrorhynchus Kirpicznikov; Rhabdotheca Cassini.

Herbs, perennial, often rosulate, sometimes acaulescent, (almost) glabrous. Stem erect, ascending-erect, procumbent, or creeping. Leaves undivided and subentire or sinuate-dentate to pinnately divided. Synflorescence corymbiform or paniculiform, with few to numerous capitula or sometimes capitulum solitary. Capitula with 5-20(-30) florets. Involucre cylindric. Phyllaries with indistinct to conspicuous white scarious margin; outer phyllaries in several series, gradually longer centripetally, ± imbricate with longest 1/2-3/4 as long as inner ones; inner phyllaries 5-8, ± equal in length, ± linear-lanceolate. Receptacle naked. Florets yellow. Achene whitish, grayish, blackish, or brownish, homomorphic and all with 5 main ribs or dimorphic and inner with 4 and outer with 5 main ribs, usually accompanied by 2 secondary ribs, smooth or transversely wrinkled, apex truncate to attenuate. Pappus white, of equal faintly scabrid bristles, caducous with pappus disk or persistent.

Fifty-four species: Africa, C, S, and SW Asia, S Europe; four species (one endemic) in China.

1 Subshrubs; flowering stems hardened, intricately and divaricately branched, erect, with numerous capitula on subulate and after shedding of capitula subspinescent peduncles. 2 L. polydichotoma

+ Herbs; flowering stems herbaceous, creeping, procumbent, or erect, weak, if divaricately branched then never intricate and never with subulate later subspinescent peduncles (2)

2 (1) Plants with flagelliform branching runners on nodes with small leaf rosettes and solitary pedunculate capitula. 4 L. sarmentosa

+ Plants with procumbent to erect stems or acaulescent (3)

3 (2) Phyllaries (especially inner ones) with narrow to inconspicuous white scarious margin; achene 4-7 mm, homomorphic, with 5 main ribs; pappus persistent. 1 L. acaulis

+ Phyllaries (especially outer ones) with broad and conspicuously white scarious margin; achene 2-4 mm, dimorphic, inner ones whitish to grayish with 4 thick main ribs, outer ones brownish to grayish, ± compressed, and with 5 main ribs; pappus caducous with pappus disk. 3 L. procumbens

Lower Taxa