Verbascum songoricum (Gintzburger et al., 2003)
| Verbascum songoricum (Gintzburger et al., 2003) |
Verbascum songoricum Schrenk
Local name:
- Russian: Коровяк джунгарский - korovjak džungarskij
- Tadjik: Dumi Govak
- Uzbek: Jungor, Sigir Kuyrugi
Chromosome number: 2n = 30 (Matveeva and Tikhonova 1968).
Description and morphology: Biennial (less often perennial) herb covered with branched whitish-silvery hair. Stem: erect, straight, covered by hairs and glands. Leaves: in basal rosette, entire, pubescent, less often pinnatipartite. Flower: bisexual; yellow; tomentose outside, assembled into a terminal raceme/cluster or spike-shaped inflorescence. Perianth compound, pentamerous. Corolla rotate; 2–5 stamens. Pollen grains 2-celled, rarely 3-celled, 3-colpate.
Reproduction: Sexual. Flowering: April–May. Fruit maturation: June. Fruit: capsule septicidal, tomentose; two or less often uniloculate capsule. Seed: prismatic, small; contains a saponin.
Pastoral importance: Negligible. In summer not eaten by livestock (due to wooliness). Occasionally consumed by sheep in autumn-winter. Flowers contain volatile oils, fatty acids, sugar and mineral salts.
Economic interest: Used in traditional medicine; a tincture and slime from petals, rarely from leaves, are widely used to treat respiratory illness.
Habitat: Occurs on sandy soil; in disturbed places, roadsides, close to housing and farms; sometimes on slightly salt-affected land. When abundant, the plant is a sign of range degradation.
Distribution: Irano-Turanian region, Central Asia, Caucasus, European part of Russia and Kazakhstan.