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Fam:   Boraginaceae Juss.
Genus:   Anchusa L.
English Name: Bugloss

Description:

Herbaceous perennials to annuals, rarely woodened basically plants. Stems erect or ascending, simple or branched, flowers gathered in the side or top cluster-like panicles in the base with bracts. Calyx bell-shaped, devided from 1/3 to base 5 identical, lanceolate to lance elliptical partition. Corolla purple, blue, light yellow, reddish, pink or violet, with a cylindrical upright tube and to funnel bell-shaped enlarged tip portion, with 5 equal or unequal partition throat with 5 ovate or elliptical, or verrucose more or less fibrous flakes . Stamens shorter. to be longer than the rim tube. The baluster to headed stigma included in the tube. Nutmeg 4, ovate to kidney or hemispherical, brown or maroon, a grid or rough, rarely verrucose, basically a thickened, ring similar to the collar. Insect-pollinated plants; multiply by seed and vegetatively.

Table for determining the species 1   Corolla light yellow .................................................................................................................................... 2. Vince cream - A. ochroleuca MV 1* Corolla blue, violet, purple or white ............................................................. .................................................................................................... 2 2   Calyx at the flower 2 - 3 mm, at the fruit 4 (5) mm long; tube of corolla 1 – 1,5 mm long, much shorter than the calyx and the expanded part of the corolla ........................................................................................................................................................................ 1. - A. barrelieri (All.) Yitm. 2* Calyx at the flower longer than 4 mm, in the fetus longer than 7 mm ................................................................................................................... 3 3  Annual plants; the baluster longer than the calyx at least 1,5 times; inflorescences 2;  peak located ....................................................................... 4 3* Perennial; the baluster shorter than the calyx, rarely equal to it; inflorescences more than 2 Mining and lateral. Rarely  the plants are biennial, but then the calyx is not divided up basically and shares are lanceolate to triangular .................................................................................................................... 5 4   Bracts equal or almost equal to calyx; wren 4 mm long and 1,0 – 1,5 mm wide ……........................................... 9. - A. thessala Boiss. et Sprun. 4* Bracts clearly shorter than the calyx; wren is 3 mm long and 2 mm wide ................................................................................ 10. - A. stylosa MV 5   The shares of the calyx tabs or widely lance, blunted ........................................................................................................................................... 6 5* The shares of the calyx lanceolate or linear lance, pointed or narrow elliptical ....................................................................................................... 8 6   Calyx at the flower 3 - 5 mm long, the fetus 7 - 8 mm; corolla in its expanded part 7 - 15 mm in diameter, light blue ............................................................................................................................................................................... 3. - A. velenovskyi (Guss.) Stoj. 6* Calyx at the flower 5 - 7 mm long, the fetus 8 - 9 mm; corolla in its expanded part 3 - 8 mm in diameter, blue or purple ............................. ......... 7 7   Leaves covered with short lies close or longer jutting, basically no thickened hairs; plants mostly without basal rosettes ........................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................... 1. - A. leptophylla Roem. et Schult. 7* Leaves covered with thickened at the base cloth; most plants often with a basal rosette .......................................................... 7. - A. officinalis gr. 8   Corolla in the top part (8) 10 - 15 mm in diameter; the nuts (6) 7 - 10 mm in length; calyx divided to the base; shares linear, linear lance or elliptical; stamens attached on top of the gum tube ………. ……............................................................................................................... 8. - A. azurea Mill. 8* Corolla in the expanded part 10 (11) mm in diameter; wren 2 - 4 mm long; calyx divided by the middle or if the base, the shares are lance; stamens attached around the middle of the tube of corolla and do not reach or partially achieved gum flakes ....................................... 4 - 7. - A. officinalis gr. ¹ developed by St. Kozhuharov From „Флора на НР България”, том IX, БАН, София, (1989)

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The genus Anchusa belongs to the tribe Boragineae of the borage family (Boraginaceae). It includes about 40 species.
These species grow in Europe, North Africa, South Africa and Western Asia. They are introduced in the United States.
They consist of annual plants, biennial plants and perennial plants with the general characteristics of the borage family. They are generally herbs, covered with bristly hairs. The leaves are simple or undulate, covered with stiff hairs.
The small radially symmetrical flowers are sapphire blue and retain their colour a long time. The plants show numerous flowers with 5 sepals, united at their bases, and 5 petals forming a narrow tube facing upwards. The flowers grow in several axillary cymes, simple or branched, or are clustered at the end. The flowers are much frequented by bees.
The roots of Anchusa (just like those of Alkanna and Lithospermum) contain anchusin (or alkanet-red ), 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 including Coleophora onosmella.

Taxonomy

There are four subgenera : Buglossum, Buglossoides, Buglossellum and Anchusa.
The first two form one subclade, the other two each a separate subclade. The subclade of the subgenus Anchusa (containing Anchusa capensis) is largely unresolved.
If we consider Anchusa s.l., then it includes the subgenus Limbata, which diverges markedly in its floral morphology.
The subgenera Buglossum, Buglossellum and Buglossoides clearly need new independent entities, while the subgenus Anchusa needs a narrower concept. This way taxonomy and phylogeny with respect to Anchusa can become completely analogous.
The following genera are synonyms for Anchusa : Buglossum Mill., Hormuzakia Gusul, Lycopsis L. and Phyllocara Gusul.. The genus Anchusella Bigazzi et al. is sometimes included in Anchusa.
This page was last modified on 1 July 2016, at 04:29.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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References: „Флора на НР България”, том IX, БАН, София, (1989), Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Distribution in Bulgaria: (Conspectus of the Bulgarian Vascular Flora) = conspectus&gs_l= Zlc.
Distribution:

SPECIES:

Anchusa azurea Mill. - Garden anchusa or Italian bugloss

Anchusa officinalis L. - Common bugloss, Alkanet

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