ONOSMAL. - RATANJOT
Scientific Description:
Perennial, usually suffruticose herbs or biennial herbs. Indumentum typically hispid, with patent to adpressed setae arising from glabrous or stellately setulose tubercles; tubercles rarely absent, setae rarely reduced to hairs. Flowers in terminal, or terminal and lateral, bracteate cymes; flowers usually nodding at anthesis. Calyx 5-sect to base, or rarely with a short tubular cup near base, lobes scarcely to greatly accrescent after flowering. Corolla tubular, cylindrical-campanulate to clavate, white, cream, yellow or orange at first, turning reddish, brownish or bluish after anthesis in some species; lobes usually very short, patent or ± deflexed. Annulus glabrous, rarely hairy. Filaments flattened, adnate to corolla tube in lower part, free above; anthers ± sagittate, usually coherent at base, rarely free or laterally coherent, included or rarely exserted, usually with a sterile apical connective. Style filiform, usually exserted; stigma small, capitate to minutely bilobed. Nutlets 4 or fewer, ovoid to trigonous or bipyramidal, acute or with ± laterally compressed beak, usually smooth and glossy, rarely rugose or tuberculate.
Reference:
Riedl H. (1978). Onosma L., In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 6: 326.
Public Description:
Onosma, is a genus of perennial or biennial herbs commonly known as “ratanjot”, is native to the Mediterranean and western Asia. It has tubular white, cream, yellow, orange, reddish, brownish or bluish flowers. There are between 77 and 150 species according to the different researchers in the world and 92 species (98 taxa) in Türkiye. All species grow in dry or moist and sunny habitats, usually in rock crevices. Some of them is used as rock garden plants.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2015). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onosma, Accessed date: 24.12.2015.
Binzet R (2012). Onosma L., In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 234−240.
