Scorzonera eretica, Willd.

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 : 322

25. S. eretica Willd. , Sp. Pl. 3: 1504 (1803).

Perennial 3-45 (-60) cm, subglabrous to densely villous-lanate especially at base of stems, leaves and involucre; rootstock vertical, cylindrical, not fibrous at apex. Stems solitary or few, rigid, simple or sparingly branched, ascending or erect, leafy in lower half or throughout. Leaves 5-30(-45) x 0-1-1 cm, linear, long-attenuate at apex, rigid or flaccid, often with prominent veins. Involucre 10-30 mm, up to 40 mm in fruit, glabrous to villous or lanate. Ligules 1|-1.5 times as long as involucre, yellow, often reddish outside. Achenes 5-10 mm, oblong-cylindrical. Pappus-hairs l-J-2 times as long as achene, plumose or scabrid, pale reddish- or whitish-brown. Rocks and dry places. S. Aegean region. Cr Gr.

An extremely variable species in need of detailed study. S. araneosa Sibth. & Sm. , FI. Graec. Prodr. 2: 123 (1813) (inch S. eximia Rech. fil. ), from the Kikladhes (the type being probably erroneously described as coming from Cyprus), is said to differ in having the involucre 20-30 mm in flower, achenes c. 10 mm with hairs less than 2 mm, and scabrid, pale whitish-brown pappus-hairs; S. eretica itself (inch S. lassitica Vierh. ), from Kriti, has the involucre 10-20 mm in flower, achenes 5-8 mm with hairs 3-5 mm, and plumose, pale reddish-brown pappus-hairs. S. dependens Rech. fil. , Magyar Bot. Lapok 33: 17 (1934), is a very robust plant with scabrid pappus-hairs, described from Kriti; it is uncertain whether it should be united with S. araneosa , if the latter is kept separate from S. eretica chiefly on the basis of the scabrid pappus-hairs, or whether the whole variation indicated above is of a much more complex nature and might justify the recognition of several isolated populations as species or subspecies.