Anthemis tinctoria, L.

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 : 155-156

42. A. tinctoria L. , Sp. Pl. 896 (1753)

( Cota tinctoria (L.) Gay ).

Sparsely hairy to white-lanate. Stems usually more or less branched. Leaves 2-pinnatisect with oblong to linear segments.

Outer involucral bracts triangular, acute, the others oblong to oblong-lanceolate, obtuse to subacute, rarely acute, with scarious, pale brownish or dark brown, fimbriate-ciliate apex. Ligules female, yellow, rarely absent. Disc hemispherical. Receptacular scales oblong-lanceolate, attenuate-acuminate. Achenes 1 -75-2 mm, slightly striate on the faces; corona very short, usually less than I as long as achene. Dry places. Most of Europe, but absent from much of the west and north and most of the islands. Al Au Be Bu Cz Da Ga Ge Gr He Ho Hu It Ju No Po Rm Rs (C, W, K, E) Si Su Tu [Br Fe].

A very variable species. Perhaps at least some of the taxa with yellow ligules, considered in recent Russian floras as independent species, will prove to be local variants either of subsp. tinctoria or of subsp. subtinctoria .

1 All or most involucral bracts with a distinct dark brown or blackish margin and apex; corona c. 0-5 mm (d) subsp. fussii 1 All involucral bracts without a distinct dark brown margin and apex or the inner diffusely brownish at apex; corona usually

less than 0- 5 mm

2 Leavesgreen,usuallysparselylanatebeneath,frequentlywith

flat teeth; capitula 25-45 mm in diameter (a) subsp. tinctoria 2 Leavesdenselygreyish-orwhitish-lanatebeneath,within- flexed teeth; capitula 19—30(—35) mm in diameter

3 Ligules golden-yellow; leaves 1- 5—2- 5(—3 -5) cm

(c) subsp. australis 3 Ligules pale yellow; leaves often more than 2- 5 cm

(b) subsp. subtinctoria