Cephalaria anatolica
Cephalaria anatolica is a critically endangered species of herbaceous plant in the family Caprifoliaceae, endemic to eastern Anatolia in Turkey. This slender perennial herb grows up to 1 metre tall with branching stems that have fine, downward-pointing hairs on their lower portions. It features distinctively variable leaves that are either simple or deeply divided into feather-like segments, and produces egg-shaped flower heads with yellow petals from June to July. First described in 1970, the species is restricted to rocky slopes, stony ground, and roadsides at elevations between 900 and 1100 metres. Its limited distribution, covering less than 500 km2 across no more than five localities, has led to its classification as critically endangered according to IUCN criteria.
Description
Cephalaria anatolica is a slender, upright perennial herb reaching up to 1 m tall. The stem branches from near the base and has a coating of fine, downward-pointing hairs on its lower sections, becoming smooth and hairless toward the upper portions.The leaves are somewhat leathery and consistently hairy across their surfaces. They vary in shape depending on their position along the stem. The lower leaves are either or deeply divided into segments resembling a feather. Simple leaves at the base are narrow, lance-shaped are egg-shaped, measuring 1–1.5 cm across when flowering and shrinking slightly to 0.7–1.2 cm when fruiting. Each flower head is surrounded by overlapping scales called involucral bracts, which are egg-shaped, straw-coloured with occasional pale reddish-brown markings, hairy surfaces, and tiny hairs along their margins. Inside the flower head, receptacular bracts are elongated, straw-coloured at the base and reddish-brown towards the tip, also hairy and with margins fringed by tiny hairs, gradually tapering to a sharp point.
Each flower has a small, cup-shaped measuring 2–3 mm across, with irregularly toothed edges. The petals form a yellow corolla 8–13 mm long, densely covered with soft, close-lying hairs on the outside. The —a small structure enclosing the developing fruit—is four-angled, 4–6 mm long, hairy, and has eight very small, equal-sized teeth at the tip.
The flowering period of Cephalaria anatolica occurs from June to July, with fruits developing from July to August.