Rhaponticoides aytachii

Ay tülüşahı

Perennial herb to 180 cm, arising from a woody rootstock. Stem single, erect, sulcate, arachnoid in the lowermost part, glabrous above, 5_13 mm in diameter at base, branched at or below the middle with several-headed branches. Leaves firm, oblong to ovate in outline, petiolate; petioles 1-30 cm long, decreasing in size upwards, scarcely arachnoid; blades 8-65x5-30 cm, pinnatisect, with 5-10 pairs of leaflets, mostly in lower part of the stem, decreasing in size upwards, glabrous or with a few scattered long hairs, biserrate at margins, nerves arachnoid, segments oblong to oblong_elliptic, asymmetric at base, decurrent along rachis. Lower and middle cauline leaves similar to the pinnatisect basal ones but smaller. Involucre glabrous, 1.5-2.5x 1.5-2.0 cm, ovate to oblong. Phyllaries 5-7-seriate, mostly with an appendage, coriaceous, pale green,  conspicuously longitudinally striate, with blackish_green lines, cartilaginous, with narrow membranous margin, straw-coloured when dry; outer ones broadly ovoid to orbicular, 2-6x3.0-5.5 mm, inner oblong or linear_lanceolate, 8-15x4-5 mm, cucullate.  Appendages large, concealing most part of middle and inner phyllaries. Florets pinkish_white to pinkish_violet, ca 2.5 cm, distinctly veined, marginal ones scarcely radiant, sterile; ligules linear to filiform up to 15 mm long; anther tube pale yellow, subexserted to exserted. Achenes slightly compressed, 7-8x3-4 mm, brown, striate with black lines. Pappus double, multiseriate, scabrous, dirty white becoming brownish, outer pappus up to 8.5 mm, inner row of shorter and broader bristles, uniseriately arranged, white, 1.5x2.0 mm. Flowering occurs in May-June and fruiting occurs in July.

Endemic.