Heliotropium. 785 
Contrib. Flor. d’Eg., p. 260. — Heliotropium cinereum R. Br. in 
Salt, Abyss. Plant. App., p.63. — Heliotropicum niloticum DC. in 
DC. Prodrom. IX, p. 541. — Herbaceous from a woody base. Stem 
much-branched, diffuse, densely clothed with soft whitish spreading 
hairs. Leaves obovate or elliptic, obtuse, densely hairy on both 
surfaces, 1—37/, em long, 6—12 mm broad; petiole 5—18 mm 
long. Cymes spicate, numerous, rather, dense, ebracteate, finally 
3—6 cm long. Calyx 1 mm long, white hairy outside; on lobe 
lanceolate, much broader than the linear others. Corolla 2 mm 
long; lobes */, as long as the tube, orbicular. Stamens inserted 
just above the corolla-base; anthers small, lanceolate. Ovary globose; 
stigma subsessile, conical. Fruit depressed globose, scarcely 2,5 mm 
in diam.; nutlets 4, hispid. — Flow. February to March. 
N. d. Damanhtr; Tanta; Shirbin; Bendéla; Manstra; Zaqazig; 
Benha-el- Asal; Qalyib; Cairo. — N.f. v. Helwan, in deep sandy 
places; Beni-Suéf; Beni-Hassan; Siut; Ekhmim; Gebel Silsile; Luksor; 
Aswan. 
Also known from the other parts of the Sahara-region, South-Kurope, 
the Canary Islands to India. 
1094. (5.) Heliotropium europaeum L. Spec. Plant. I (1753), 
p. 130. — DC. Prodrom. IX, p. 534. — Boiss. Flor. Or. IV, p. 130. — 
Aschers.-Schweinf. Ill. Flor. d’Eg., p. 109 no. 717. — Aschers.-Schweinf. 
Ill. Flor. dEg., Supplem. p. 768. — Aschers. Flor. Rhinocol., p. 801 
no. 178. — Sickenberg. Contrib. Flor. d’Eg., p. 260. — Annual. Stems 
erect, much branched, clothed with short whitish hairs. Leaves thin, 
flat, oblong or ovate, obtuse, petioled, densely shortly hairy on both 
sides. Spikes ebracteate, at first short, dense finally laxer and 
about 5 cm long. Calyx 2 mm long, very hairy; tube very short; 
lobes lanceolate. Corolla-tube hairy, not longer than the calyx; 
lobes small, orbicular. Style short, glabrous; stigma with a produced 
conical apex. Nuts rugose, pubescent. — Flow. February to March. 
M. ma. Abusir; Mariut; Alexandria-West and -EHast; Abukir. 
— M. p. El-Arish. — N.d. N.f. Common in deep sandy places. 
— 0. Little Oasis; Dakhel; Great Oasis. 
Local name: sekran (Forsk., Del.); ’afeyn (Ascherson, Schwein- 
furth). 
Mediterranean basin, South and Middle Europe, Armenia Mesopotamia 
and Persia. 
var. tenuiflorum Boiss. in Flor. Or. IV (1879), p. 130. — 
Aschers.-Schweinf. Ill. Flor. d’Eg., p. 109 no. 717. — More canescent, 
corolla-lobes less erect, stigma more pubescent. — Flow. January 
to April. 
Muschler, Manual Flora of Egypt. 50 
