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Abstract : |
The genus Sonchus L. belongs to the tribe Lactuceae in family Asteraceae/Compositae whose taxonomic study has been carried out from Pakistan. Its seven species were studied namely Sonchus asper, S. oleraceous, S. tennerrimus, S. uliginosus, S. palustris, S. arvensis and S. maritimus. In Sonchus arvensis radical and cauline leaves are runcinate, pinnatifid, spinate, margin toothed, caudate and glabrous. In S. arvensis the achenes oblanceolate,+ 7 ribs on each face and in S. asper achenes compressed, + 3 ribs on each face. In S. maritimus lateral lobes of leaves are incised and glabrous. Sonchus palustris has glandular hairs on stem, achenes has + 3 ribs on each face and neck absent. In S. tenerrimus achenes compressed thick margined, 5-ribbed appearing 1-ribbed and 2-grooved on each face while in S. uliginosus achenes lanceolate + 4 ribs on each face, pappus 0.7 cm long, neck absent. It is concluded that in plant taxonomy morphological characters have given great weightage in identification and classification of plants. In this research project the species Sonchus palustris has been reported first time from Pakistan, |
