A. RADCLIFFE-SMITH

An erect glabrous or rarely sparingly puberulous somewhat glaucous annual herb upto 30 cm tall, but more commonly 5-20 cm tall, unbranched, 2-branch-ed or sometimes much-branched from the base. Stem-leaves alternate, senile; leaf-blades oblanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, (0.5-) 1-3 cm x 1-6 mm, suba-cute, acute or cuspidately acuminate at the apex, tapered to a rounded-cuneate base, entire or subentire, pahninerved. Pseudumbel 3-5-rayed, the rays many times bind, often with a few axillary rays below the pseudumbel; pseudumbel-leaves 3-5, whorled, usually resembling the upper stem-leaves but often somewhat broader; ray-leaves opposite, ovate-lanceolate to ovate-deltate or -rhombic, often-falcate, cuspidate to aristate at the apex, cuneate, rounded or ± truncate at the base, subentire or minutely serrulate, progressively smaller distal-ly. Cyathia shortly pedunculate to subsessile, yellow or orange-pink. Glands transversely elliptic-oblong, crescentic, hornless or shortly 2-homed, yellow or greenish-yellow. Fruit ovoid-conic, 2 x 1.5 mm, smooth, pale green. Styles spreading, free, 1 mm long, bifid. Seeds compressed ovoid-quadrangular, 1.3 x I x 0.7 mm, transversely-grooved, pale grey, with a terminal, conical, white, readily-caducous caruncle.

Fl.Per.: March - June. Fr. Per.: April - Aug.

Syntypes: S. Europe, specimen nos. 630/25,26 in Hb. Linn. (LINN).

Distribution: The typical subspecies in C. & S. Europe, N. Africa, S.W. & C. Asia; two other subspecies in the Middle East. Common as a weed on sandy clay soil and silty loam in fields and orchards, and also on rocky slopes, dry sandy riverbanks and in or near water; 3000'/914 m. - 7000'/2130 m.