ANCHUSAL. - BUGLOSS
Scientific Description:
Annual, prostrate to erect, biennial or perennial herbs; plants strigose to tuberculate-setose. Leaves linear to ovate-lanceolate, entire to dentate. Inflorescence terminal, cymes usually bracteate, contracted in flower, usually elongating and becoming lax in fruit. Calyx divided to 1/2 or almost to base, sometimes accrescent in fruit. Corolla infundibular to hypocrateriform, yellow, white or blue to deep violet, actinomorphic or sometimes zygomorphic with a curved tube; faucal scales well developed, ± linear to oblong, penicillate; stamens inserted near or above middle of tube. Style included; stigma capitate. Nutlets 4, usually reticulate-rugulose and ± tuberculate, distinctly stipitate with an incrassate basal ring, erect to obliquely ovoid with a basal attachment scar, or transversely reniform with attachment scar subventral.
Reference:
Chamberlain DF (1978). Anchusa L., In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 6: 388.
Public Description:
Anchusa is a genus of annual, biennial and perennial plants commonly known as “bugloss” and grow in Europe, North Africa, South Africa and Western Asia. There are approximately 37 species in the word and 14 species (21 taxa) in Türkiye. They consist of with the general characteristics of the borage family. Anchusa having one-sided clusters of trumpet-shaped flowers. The small flowers are sapphire blue and retain their colour a long time. The flowers are much frequented by bees. The roots of bugloss contain anchusin (or alkanet-red ), which is a red-brown resinoid colouring matter. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, chloroform and ether. Anchusa species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2015). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchusa/, Accessed date: 22.12.2015.
Anonymous 2 (2015). http://www.memidex.com/anchusa/, Accessed date: 22.12.2015.
Anonymous 3 (2015). http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/Boraginaceae/Anchusa/, Accessed date: 22.12.2015.
Körüklü ST (2012). Anchusa L., In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (edlr.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 223−224.
