Fagonia bruguieri var. laxa Illustration Credit: Shaukat

A profusely branched, pale green biennial or perennial shrublet, up to 30 cm tall, covered over by minute unicellular acute hairs or capitate glands. Branches prostrate to erect, distinctly sulcate and 4-angled, internodes up to 4.5 cm long. Basal leaves mostly trifoliolate, upper unifoliolate; leaflets fleshy, ovate-oblong or linear-lanceolate, 4-12 mm long, sharp mucronate; subsessile or with up to 5 mm long petiole; stipular spines recurved, mostly longer than the leaves, 6-12 mm long. Flowers small, c. 8-10 mm across, pale-pink or purplish, shortly pedicellate, pedicel up to 5 mm. Sepals lanceolate-ovate, 2-2.5 mm long, c. 1 mm broad, acute-acuminate, pubescent, persistent. Petals spathulate, 3.5-4 (-6) mm long, obtuse. Stamens with c. 6 mm long filaments. Capsule up to c. 4 mm long, 3-4 mm broad, pubescent.

Distribution: Pakistan westwards to North and tropical Africa in arid and semiarid regions.

Lower Taxa

• Fagonia bruguieri var. bruguieri
• Fagonia bruguieri var. haplotricha Hadidi
• Fagonia bruguieri var. laxa Boiss.
• Fagonia bruguieri var. rechingeri Hadidi

Related Synonym(s):

• Fagonia diversifolia Boiss. = Fagonia bruguieri var. laxa Boiss.
• Fagonia echinella Boiss. = Fagonia bruguieri var. bruguieri