A. RADCLIFFE-SMITH

An erect, glabrous, ± glaucous annual herb usually 5-7 cm tall, rarely more. Leaves sessile or subsessile. Stem-leaves few, opposite or alternate; upper leaves all opposite. Leaf-blades all linear-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, sometimes the uppermost ovate-lanceolate, 0.7-2 cm x 2-5 mm, acute or obtuse, entire, triplinerved. Pseudumbel 3-rayed, or branching dichotomous throughout. Cyathia solitary in the forks of the dichotomies. Axillary shoots also present, sometimes arising from the cotyledonar axils. Glands truncate and 2-horned, pinkish. brown, the horns whitish. Fruits ovoidtrilobate, 3 x 2.5 mm, smooth. Styles free, 0.5 mm long, bifid, stigmas thickened. Seeds ovoid-cylindric, roundly hexagonal, 2 x 1 mm, irregularly longitudinally sulcate, transversely rugulose, pale grey but darker in the furrows, with a shortly-atipitate globose caruncle.

Fl. & Fr. Per.: Apr: May.

Holotype: USSR, Kazakhstan, Khr. Dzhungarskiy Alatau, R. Bidzhe [Bidshe, Bidsche, Bizhe], 1844, Al. Schrenk s.n. (LE).

Distribution: Soviet Central Asia, Iran. On sandy clay, 2500'/760 m. -4100'/1250 m.

This very little-collected species is only known from the Soviet type-locality, two collections from Iran and the four from Pakistan above, recorded here for the first time.

The entry for ‘Baluchistan’ under Euphorbia hispida Boiss. in Stewart’s Annotated Catalogue may refer to this species, for Harsukh 20649 was so misidentified in the Kew Herbarium. In Stewart’s catalogue, Zaffar Ali 4717 is listed under Euphorbia szovitsii Fisch. & Mey., but examination of the material shows it to be referable to this species. The other specimen listed under Euphorbia szovitsii in the catalogue is in fact that species, but Ali Khel is in Afghanistan. Thus Euphorbia szovitsii is to be excluded from the Flora of Pakistan, unless the two specimens referred to Euphorbia aserbajdzhanica Bordz. (q.v. infra) are in fact referable to it.