Asteraceae

Filago Loefl.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 927, 1199 (1753)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Macaronesia, Medit.to NE. Tropical Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Europe to Mongolia and Nepal, SW. & S. Central U.S.A. to NW. Mexico.

Descriptions

Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. & Hind, D. J. N. (Eds). (2019). Flora of Iraq, Volume 6: Compositae.Kew Publishing

Morphology General Habit
Greyish annual herbs, erect or prostrate
Morphology Leaves
Leaves simple, arachnoid or felted-hairy, in rosettes or alternate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula aggregated into ovate or globose terminal or axillary clusters sometimes overtopped by subtending leaves; phyllaries few, minute, scarious
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle
Receptacles often united into compound receptacles; paleae each subtending a female filiform epappose floret; middle florets female, filiform, enclosed within innermost scales, with a pappus; and a small number of central tubular hermaphrodite (fertile or functionally male) florets with a pappus
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes cylindrical to obovoid, papillose; pappus (when present) of bristles coherent at base, barbellate or plumose, or epappose.
Distribution
Around 50 species in Europe, Asia, N Africa and N America; 7 species in Iraq. Filago, from the lat. filum, a thread, with reference to its cottony indumentum.
[FIQ]

Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. & Hind, D. J. N. (Eds). (2019). Flora of Iraq, Volume 6: Compositae.Kew Publishing

Morphology General Habit
Small grey-woolly annual herbs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula aggregated into clusters each subtended by a whorl of leaves; receptacle very narrow and elongated, woolly below
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Female florets in several undefined series, each enclosed except for the style within an inner phyllary resembling a receptacular scale; apex of receptacle naked, bearing several functionally male tubular 4-lobed florets, without achenes; pappus of female florets consisting of capillary babellate setae with patent cilia; male florets lacking a pappus.
Distribution
A monotypic genus of SW & C Asia.
[FIQ]

Sources

  • Flora of Iraq

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0