Scorzonera hirsuta, L.

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1976, Flora Europaea. Volume 4. Plantaginaceae to Compositae (and Rubiaceae), Cambridge University Press : 321

23. S. hirsuta L. , Mantissa Alt. 278 (1771).

Perennial 10-45 cm, subglabrous to more or less sparsely villous; rootstock vertical, cylindrical, not fibrous at apex. Stems solitary or few, slender, rigid, simple or sparingly branched at about the middle, ascending, more or less densely leafy in lower half, usually leafless above. Leaves 5-20 x 0- 1-0-4 cm, linear, long-attenuate at apex, rigid, with prominent veins. Involucre 13-20 mm, up to 30 mm in fruit, glabrous or very sparsely villous at base. Ligules l |-l i times as long as involucre, yellow. Achenes 6-8 mm, oblong-cylindrical, with hairs 3-5 mm. Pappus-hairs 2|-3 times as long as achene, plumose throughout, pale reddish-brown. 2« = 12, 14. Dry places. • Italy and Sicilia, France northwards to c. 46° 30' N, N.E. Spain. Ga Hs It Si.

S. villosiformis (Fiori & Béguinot) Vierh. , Österr. Bot. Zeitschr. 65: 66 (1915), described from S. Italy, has the pappus-hairs plumose only at the base, with short lateral hairs; it is probably a hybrid between 23 and 21.