Opopanax Koch (1824: 96)

Çetin, Özlem & Çelik, Mustafa, 2018, Comparative morphological, anatomical, micromorphological, and palynological studies on the genera Opopanax and Crenosciadium (Apiaceae), Phytotaxa 372 (1), pp. 35-50 : 36-37

Opopanax Koch (1824: 96)

Opopanax chironium (L.) Koch (1824: 96) ≡ Laserpitium chironium Linnaeus (1753: 249)

Robust, erect, perennial, up to 3 m high. Rootstock thick, ca. 2 cm in diameter, covered at base with fibrous collar. Stem terete, solid, finely striate, slightly ribbed under umbel. Basal leaves triangular or broadly ovate in outline, up to 120 cm long, 2-pinnate, stellate-hairy beneath, terminal segments broadly ovate, 4–25 cm long, lobed, subsessile to decurrent, lobes ovate to oblong-elliptic, crenate-serrate at margin. Upper leaves simple, or reduced to inflated petioles. Umbels equally 7–25-rayed, 2–2.6 cm long, glabrous. Bracts (1–)3–4, linear-lanceolate, 5–7 mm long, acuminate to subulate. Flowers 12–20 in each umbellule; pedicels glabrous, equal, 6–7 mm long. Bracteoles 2–5, linear to setaceous, 3–6 mm long. Sepals obsolete. Petals yellow, ovate, strongly incurved in the distal part, acute to acuminate at apex, 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.7 mm. Filaments 1.3–2 mm long; anthers yellow, elliptic, 0.9–1.2 mm long. Stylopodium conical. Styles 1.2–1.6 mm, reflexed. Fruit dorsally compressed, flattened. Mericarps 6–8 × 3–4 mm, elliptic, glabrous, marginal wing 0.2–0.4 mm wide, yellowish.

Chromosome number: ―n = 11 (Rice et al. 2014).

Phenology: ―Flowering from June to July.

Distribution: ―Native to Europe and Libya.

Opopanax hispidus (Friv.) Grisebach (1843) ≡ Ferula hispida Frivaldszky (1835: 333) ≡ Pastinaca hispida (Friv.) Fenzl (1843: 462) . Fig. 1

= Opopanax orientale Boissier (1844a: 330)

Stout, erect, perennial, up to 3 m tall. Rootstock thick, 1–3 cm in diameter, covered at base with fibrous collar. Stem terete, solid, distinctly striate, slightly ribbed under umbel, densely retrorsely hispid in the lower part, hispid or glabrous above, usually branched in the region of the inflorescence. Basal leaves ovate in outline, 30–70 cm (incl. petiole), 2- pinnate, segments oblong or ovate, 2–13 × 1.5–3.5 cm, leaf lamina with stellate hairs on both sides, apex acute or obtuse, base usually decurrent along rachis, margin crenulate-dentate; petiole 8–22 cm long, expanding basally to form a fairly conspicuous sheath 1.8–5 cm long. Middle cauline leaves 1-pinnate, similar to basal leaves, but smaller. Upper cauline leaves reduced, lobed or sheath-like. Umbels unequally (5–)10–20-rayed, 1.5–5 cm. long, glabrous, ± ribbed. Bracts 2–5, 3–10(–18) × 0.5–2.5 mm, linear or narrowly oblong. Flowers (5–) 9–12 in each umbellule, pedicel glabrous, ± equal, ca. 5 mm long. Bracteoles 1–5, linear, 1–5 mm long. Sepals obsolete. Petals yellow, broad, strongly incurved in the distal part, with a truncate or somewhat emarginate apex, 1.3–1.5 × 1.1–1.3 mm. Filaments 1–1.2 mm long; anthers yellow, suborbicular-elliptic, 0.6–0.7 mm long. Stylopodium compressed, with ± undulate margin. Styles 1–1.5 mm long, reflexed in fruit. Fruit dorsally compressed, flattened. Mericarps 9–12 × 6–9 mm, oblong-obovate, glabrous or loosely hispidulous, with 3 slender, filiform dorsal ridges, marginal wing 1–1.5 mm wide, whitish, conspicuous.

Chromosome number: ―n=11 (Rice et al. 2014).

Phenology: ―Flowering from May to July.

Distribution: ―Native to Europe and West Asia.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Opopanax hispidus. a) general view of habitus; b) umbel.