Acantholimon scorpius
Acantholimon scorpius is an Iranian subshrub in the leadwort family, Plumbaginaceae. Kew accepts it as a species native to Iran. The present botanical combination dates from 1846; the earlier name Statice scorpius was published in 1844.[1]
Habitat and leaves
A 2022 anatomical study describes the species as widespread within Iran and extending into the transition between the Irano-Turanian and Saharo-Sindian vegetation regions. Its photographs show plants on gravelly plains, with distinct spring and summer leaves. The material examined included plants collected near Fasa in Fars province at an elevation of about 1,450 metres.[2]
The study found approximately equal densities of stomata, the microscopic pores used for gas exchange, on the two leaf surfaces of A. scorpius. Its micrographs also show salt glands on the lower surface. These observations describe the examined material; they do not establish the salt tolerance of every population.[2]
Historical record
A specimen in the Paris herbarium, collected by Alexander von Bunge near Kermanshah on 24 April 1859, is catalogued under this species. The record documents a historical collection, not the present abundance of the plant at that locality.[3]
References
- ↑ Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. “Acantholimon scorpius”. Plants of the World Online. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bordbar, F. and colleagues (2022). “Leaf anatomical investigations in Acantholimon (Plumbaginaceae)”. Brazilian Journal of Botany 45, 729–741; author-uploaded full text, figures 1 and 4 and table 4. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, Paris. Herbarium specimen P00720235, Acantholimon scorpius. Accessed 9 October 2026.