Asperugo procumbens

Asperugo procumbens L., Sp. Pl. 138 1753. (syn: Asperugo alba Mazziari; Asperugo erecta I.Pop; Asperugo vulgaris Dum.Cours.; Asperugo vulgaris Bubani);
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Common name: Madwort, Eurasian madwort
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Images by Gurcharan Singh (Inserted by J.M.Garg) (For more images & complete details, click on the links)

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Since the genus is not represented in our database, I thought of uploading my herbarium images from Drass in Ladakh and Srinagar, Kashmir, with the hope that some friends would soon upload the live photographs..
Asperugo procumbens L., Sp. Pl. 138. 1753
Branched annual herb,up to 50 cm tall; scabrid with setose retrorse hairs; leaves broadly lanceolate to oblanceolate, up to 8 cm long, decurrent on short petiole; flowers blue on up to 3 mm long pedicel; calyx with linear lanceolate lobes, enlarged, nodding and saucer shaped in fruit; corolla with scales opposite lobes; nutlets about 3 mm long, laterally compressed, tubercled.

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Asperugo procumbens: 2 high res. images.
Habit: Herb

Texture: stem and leaves are sticky like in case of Galium aparine.
Location: Kulgam, jammu and Kashmir.
Flowering period: May.

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ID of Boraginaceae member is requested: 6 images.

Am attaching photos of a Boraginaceae family plant growing in a field in Srinagar.
Habitat: wild
Habit: Herb. Weak erect stems branched at bottom in some plants. Height 30-40cm.
Stems rough and clinging due to minute transparent thorn like structures pointing downwards (See photo). Flowers 3mm in diameter, Corolla blue with a magenta ring at base surrounding the faucal appendages (See Photo).
Kindly help me to ID this herb.

Cynoglossum microglochin Benth. !

Yes sir

However it appears very different from the photo on FOI page https://www.flowersofindia.Purple%20Forget-Me-Not.html.
Flowers are blue and not purple, there is a magenta ring at base of corolla  and petals are just 1-1.5mm long. Also faucal scales seem to be very different from that in FOI photo.


Some more photos:

Photo1 shows flower held between fingers to compare with similar photo of C.microglochin by … on FOI website. The difference in the size of the flowers is easily seen.
Photo 2 Magnified view of one of the biggest flowers on the herb. Each small square of the graph paper in the background is 1mm.
Photo3 Magnified view of Faucal appendages. 5  pairs can be seen.
Photo4 Corolla removed to show 2mm long sepals. The lanceolate sepals seem to be different from the sepals in FOI photo. The short style is also visible.
4 images.

I may also point out that the stem rather than being hairy has hook like spines projecting downwards which make the stem have a rough and clinging feel.

Asperugo procumbens L. !

http://www.flowersofindia.Madwort.html


Thanks to … for link to FOI page.

On FOI page it is mentioned asoccurring only above 2000mbut Srinagar (Rawathpora) is only 1600 meters asl so the info needs to be corrected.
Am attaching some more photos.
Photo 1 is of a Maple Leaf like structure. Photo 2 is detail of same. According to NatureGate https://luontoportti.com/en/t/1832/madwort
“Madwort spreads well: due to its hooked tips the calyx, which resembles a miniscule maple leaf and envelopes the ripening mericarps, is very adhesive.”
Photo 3 shows corolla and a calyx lobe(2mm). Corolla has 1mm lobes and a 1 mm corolla tube expanded in the middle. Five pale yellow anthers (not visible in photo) are adnate to and inserted in the corolla tube.
Photo 4 is of tiny round pollen grains (X675). These are the smallest pollen grains I have seen so far in my very limited experience of looking at pollen grains of different plants as a hobby and a pastime.
I wonder if this is a European species which has become invasive just like Conyza canadensis which is so common here that it has even got a vernacular
4 images.

Actually the pollen grains are round in polar view but rather dumbbell shaped in equatorial view as is apparent from the photo.


An Interesting Fact
Stewart in his book Flora of West Pakistan.. has mentioned that Asperugo procumbens is the only member of the Boraginaceae family in the region which has a trailing habit.
A photo of a long trailing plant is attached
1 image.

Thanks, …, for the wonderful presentation.
Yes, appears close to images at
https://efloraofindia.com/2016/07/20/asperugo-procumbens/


Some more photos:

Notes:
PHOTO1 : Fused calyx lobes form maple leaf like structure around 4 nutlets
PHOTO2: Hooks on calyxlobes
3 images.


Photo of unripe fruit with upper calyx lobes removed to show attachment of nutlets, Short gynobasic style is visible. Photos in previous post and this post taken on 27 May. Each small square =1 square millimeter.
1 image

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