Mantisalca is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae, it contains six described species.[3][4]

Mantisalca
A dagger flower, Mantisalca salmantica, in Albatera Alicante, Spain.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Carduoideae
Tribe: Cardueae
Subtribe: Centaureinae
Genus: Mantisalca
Cass.[1][2]
Type species
Mantisalca salmantica
Synonyms[1]
  • Centaurea subgenus Mantisalca Cass.

Description

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Annual or biennial herbs growing between 50 cm to 1.3 metres in size.[5][6] Herbage is not spiny.[6]

Morphology

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The stems are erect, strongly branched, longitudinal parallel lines (striate) with wings on stem absent.[5]

Leaves grow around the base (basal) and along the stem (cauline).[6] Leaves are without spines. Basal leaves dissected to the midrib with the leave segments merging (confluent) at the midrib (pinnatisect).[5] Stem leaves sparse, much reduced, very narrow in length with parallel sides (linear) and toothed, with the teeth pointing towards the leaf tip (serrate).[5]

Flower heads are solitary with ray-florets absent and receptacle scales present.[7] Involcural bracts are ovoid to spheric in shape, 10 to 15 mm in diameter.[6] The bracts are in several series, up to eight in number, ending in a short deciduous spines or with a short sharp point (mucronate).[7][6][5]

Distribution and habitat

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Mantisalca occurs primarily in northern Africa, southern Europe and Turkey. One species, Mantisalca salmantica, is naturalised in Australia.[5]

Taxonomy

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Etymology

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Mantisalca is the anagram of the type species epithet salmantica.[6]

Species

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Species[8][9][10]

Selected hybrids include:

References

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  1. ^ a b Cassini 1818, p. 142.
  2. ^ "Plant Name Details for Genus Mantisalca". IPNI. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  3. ^ Tropicos, Mantisalca Cass.
  4. ^ Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Mantisalca includes photos and distribution maps
  5. ^ a b c d e f Orchard 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Keil 2006.
  7. ^ a b Stanley & Ross 1986, p. 587.
  8. ^ Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist Archived 2014-12-18 at archive.today
  9. ^ "Query Results for Genus Genus". IPNI. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  10. ^ "Name - Mantisalca Cass. subordinate taxa". Tropicos. Saint Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved April 17, 2010.

Bibliography

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