Flora of Israel: Pterocephalus plumosus

Pterocephalus plumosus, Pterocephalus papposus, Knautia plumosa, Scabiosa papposa,

Hebrew: נוציץ מנוצה, Arabic: عقس ريشي


Scientific name:		Pterocephalus plumosus (L.) Coult.
Synonym name:		Pterocephalus papposus (L.) Coult., Knautia plumosa L., Scabiosa papposa L.
Hebrew name:		נוציץ מנוצה
Arabic name:		عقس ريشي
Plant Family:		Dipsacaceae, שלמוניים

_{Location: Sea of Galilee, Mount of Beatitudes}


Life form:		Annual
Leaves:		Opposite, dissected, pinnate, dentate or serrate
Flowers:		Hermaphrodite, white, pink
Flowering Period:		March, April, May, June
Habitat:		Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:		Med – Irano-Turanian
Summer shedding:		Ephemeral

_{Location: Sea of Galilee, Mount of Beatitudes}
Derivation of the botanical name:

Pterocephalus, greek pteron, πτερον, feather, wing; cephale, κεφαλη, head; winged head.

plumosus, feathery.
papposus, covered with pappus, downy.
Knautia, after Dr. Christopher Knaut (1638 – 1694), a German (Saxon) botanist.
Scabiosa, Latin scabies, “the itch,” which the rough (scurfy) leaves might have been used to cure.
The Hebrew name: נוציץ, notsits, from נוצה, notsa (= feather); usually derived from נצה ‘ ( = to fly), and related to Akkadian nasu (= feather, plumage).

The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
The standard author abbreviation Coult. is used to indicate Thomas Coulter (1793 – 1843), an Irish physician, botanist, and explorer.

_{Location: Sea of Galilee, Mount of Beatitudes}