Abstract:Summary Gundelia tournefortii L. (Compositae: Gundelieae) is described and illustrated, and its strange inflorescence morphology highlighted. The history of the discovery of this fascinating plant is ...Summary Gundelia tournefortii L. (Compositae: Gundelieae) is described and illustrated, and its strange inflorescence morphology highlighted. The history of the discovery of this fascinating plant is covered from one of the first natural history collections made in the late 16th century in the Levant. The problematic taxonomy of this genus is discussed, both supragenerically and infragenerically. The species has very rarely been cultivated throughout its recent history, making a commentary on its cultivation and propagation a little difficult. The wide range of uses cover a history dating back at least 10,000 years, from the Neolithic sites of Iraq and Turkey, to its present day usage in the region. The importance of herbarium specimen data, as well as literature, for the ethnobotany of taxa is emphasized. A possible biblical connection is commented on in relation to the Shroud of Turin.Read More
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-07-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 12
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