25. Dianthus L., Sp. Pl. 409. 1753. Gen. Pl. 565. 1754; Boiss., Fl. Or. 1:476. 1767; Edgew. & Hook. F. in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 1:213. 1874.
SHAHINA A. GHAZANFAR & YASIN J. NASIR
Annual or perennial herbs. Leaves linear with parallel veins. Inflorescence cymose, terminal or flowers solitary. Bracteole 2-many, adpressed to the calyx. Calyx tubular or cylindrical; calyx teeth 5, usually acute or acuminate; nerves many, commissural nerves absent. Petals 5, with a long claw, limb lanceolate or dentate, barbulate or not, never bilobed. Coronal scales absent. Stamens 10. Styles 2. Ovary 1-locular. Capsule many seeded, dehisching by 4 teeth. Carpophore usually absent. Seeds compressed-discoid.
A large genus with 300 species distributed in Europe, Asia and Africa, but chiefly concentrated in the Mediterranean region. Some species are commonly cultivated in the gardens for ornament such as hybrids and cultivars of D. caryophyllus L. (Carnation), D. barbatus L. (Sweet Williams) and D. plumarius L. Represented in Pakistan by 10 species.
The term bracteoles is used for those structures subtending individual flowers and bracts for those subtending an inflorescence of more than a single flower.
Species dubia
Dianthus afghanicus Rech.f. in Bot. Jahrb. 75: 360. 1951; Stewart, Ann. Cat. Vasc. Pl. W. Pak. & Kashm. 241. 1972.
Perennial, with a short woody stock. Stems 20-25 mm, greyish-green, ± erect to ascending, branching from the base, glabrous. Leaves 10-30 x 1 mm, linear, serrulate, apex acute. Flowers solitary, terminal. Bracteoles 4, 5-6 mm, reaching ¼ the calyx length, ovate to acuminate with a hyaline margin, ± finely ciliate. Calyx 14-16 mm, cylindrical, teeth lanceolate, acuminate. Petals rose, toothed at the apex, barbulate. Capsule ovoid, included.
Type: Afghanistan, Pulalam, 7000, flowers rose-pink, 15. iv. 1937, Koelz 11837 (Holo. W; iso. BARC).
Distribution: Afghanistan, Western Pakistan (?)
Reported by Stewart (l.c.) from Tartars, Khyber Agency, but I have not seen material from that area. From its description the species resembles D. angulatus Royle ex Benth.
