Cerinthe L.

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1972, Flora Europaea. Volume 3. Diapensiacea to Myoporaceae, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press : 94

10. Cerinthe L. 1

Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, glabrous or glabrescent but often with white tubercles, usually glaucous. Flowers in terminal, usually branched, bracteate cymes. Calyx lobed to half-way or more. Corolla yellow, usually tinged with violet or red, more or

less tubular, with 5 erect or recurved lobes; lobes shorter than or as long as rest of corolla, without scales. Stamens included or slightly exserted, inserted at about middle of corolla; anthers appendiculate at base. Style usually exserted; stigma capitate or emarginate. Nutlets connate in 2 separate pairs, each pair ovoid, slightly beaked, dark brown or black, smooth, with a flat base.

C. tristis Teyber , Österr. Bot. Zeitschr. 63: 491 (1913), was described from W. Jugoslavia (Biokovo mountains) on the basis of a non-flowering rosette of leaves; it differs from all other species in having a bluish-black margin c. 2 mm wide to the broadly elliptical, petiolate leaves. Its affinities are unknown.

1 Corolla-lobes lanceolate, acuminate, erect, almost as long as the rest of the corolla 1. minor

1 Corolla-lobes ovate, sharply recurved at apex, much shorter than the rest of the corolla

2 Corolla curved above, pale yellow, violet distally 4. retorta

2 Corolla straight, yellow or dark red, usually with red spots or ring at the throat

3 Corolla 5-8 mm wide, more than twice as long as calyx; annual 3. major

3 Corolla 3-4 mm wide, not more than twice as long as calyx; perennial or biennial 2. glabra