Launaea capitata (Spreng.) Dandy  

Scientific classification
Kingdom:plantae
Unranked :Asterids
Order:Asterales
Family:Asteraceae
Tribe:Cichorieae
Genus:Launaea
Species :Launaea captiaia
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Distribution :Saudi Arabia: Widespread North Africa, Mediterranean region, Arabia, Iran.
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Habit:Annual or short - lived perennial herb, short - stemmed or with spreading or ascendant, naked scapose stems, sometimes with a prominent leaf on the lowermost node.
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Leaves:Leaves mostly basal , up to c .  16 cm long, spathulate-oblong, shallowly to deeply irregularly dentate to pinnately lobed, runcinate;  the margin all with minute cartilaginous denticulations
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Inflrescences :Capitula sessile or shortly peduncled in axillary and or terminal clusters on short to up to 40 cm long scapes .  Capitula subspherical Involucre c.  14 (-16) mm long, widespread at dispersal long above the corolla tube.  Achenes polymorphic, up to c.  3.5 (-5.5) mm long , truncate, minutely tubercled , the outer with 5 main, broad ribs , sub - compressed, the inner columnar, grayish - white, with broad ribs, 4 - lobed at base.
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Flower:Ligules bright yellow, up to c.  11 mm the head deflexed laterally or reflexed at fruiting
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Fruit:nodding at fruiting involucral bracts with wide scarious margins;  inner involucral bracts up to 10 ( -12 ) mm long .  Ligules lowest 1-2 - nodes , small , otherwise the scapes with minute bracts at nodes .  Scape branching mostly with hardening of the midribs and bases ;  inner involucral bracts 8.