Convolvulus scammonia L., Sp. Pl. 1: 153. 1753. (Linnaeus 1753: 153).

Wood, John R. I., Williams, Bethany R. M., Mitchell, Thomas C., Carine, Mark A., Harris, David J. & Scotland, Robert W., 2015, A foundation monograph of Convolvulus L. (Convolvulaceae), PhytoKeys 51, pp. 1-282 : 48

1. Convolvulus scammonia L., Sp. Pl. 1: 153. 1753. (Linnaeus 1753: 153). Figure 3, t. 1-9.

Convolvulus elongatus Salisb., Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton 123. 1796; illegitimate superfluous name for Convolvulus scammonia L. ( Salisbury 1896: 123). Type. SYRIA, Aleppo [Haleb], P. Russell (whereabouts unknown).

Type.

Plate " Convolvulus syriacus s. Scammoniaca syriaca" in Morison (1680: 2, sect. 1 plate 3, f. 5), lectotype (designated by Staples and Jarvis 2006: 1021).

Description.

Glabrous perennial herb with trailing or twining stems up to 2 m long. Leaves petiolate, 2.5-7 × 1.5-5 cm, deltoid, acute to acuminate, margin entire, base cordate but not cuneate onto the petiole, auriculate with auricles weakly 2 (- 3)-lobed, with one lobe larger than the other; petioles 0.5-4.5 cm long. Flowers 1-5 in pedunculate axillary cymes; peduncles 3.5-16 cm long; bracteoles 3-5 × 0.5-1 mm, linear to linear-lanceolate, acute; pedicels 8-11 mm, so inflorescence rather dense; outer sepals 6-7 × 5 mm, broadly oblong-obovate to rectangular, truncate and minutely mucronate, glabrous, scarious; inner sepals 7-11 × 4.5-6 mm; corolla 3-4 cm, pale yellow, undulate, midpetaline bands glabrous except for a few hairs near the apex; filaments with sessile glands below; ovary glabrous; style glabrous, divided 11-15 mm above the base, stigmas 3 mm. Capsule glabrous; seeds smooth (especially in Iraq) to tuberculate. [ Sa’ad 1967: 241; Feinbrun-Dothan 1978: plate 69; Tohmé and Tohmé 2007: 216 (photo); Strid and Strid 2009: 386-387 (plate)]

Distribution.

East Mediterranean region to Crimea and Iraq: Greece (Aegean Islands only): Rhodes (Rechinger 7441), Chios (Platt 238); Turkey (Balansa 697, Davis & Coode 36447, Sintenis 1274); Crimea (Rehmann 606, Callier 323); Iraq (Rawi 23102, Gillett 8236, Wheeler-Haines s.n. [4/6/1960]); Syria (Haradjian 1508, 2711); Lebanon (Breidy et al. LEB-555); Palestine/Israel (Davis 4630); Jordan ( Täckholm et al. 8934); Egypt: Sinai (fide Boulos 2000: 251).

Notes.

A very distinct, nearly completely glabrous species with a yellow corolla, acutely-angled deltoid leaves and the outer sepals much smaller than the inner sepals. Molecular studies ( Williams et al. 2014) show this species and Convolvulus pseudoscammonia to be the most closely related species to Calystegia spp.