S. NAZIMUDDIN AND M. QAISER

Annual climbing herb, stem with reflexed hairs or prickles. Leaves 6-8 in a whorl, 5-40 x 4-6 mm, linear, narrowly obovate, oblong, oblanceolate-elliptic, usually narrower below the middle, mucronate or cuspidate, midrib and margin scabridulous, upper surface mostly hispid, sessile or shortly petioled. Inflorescence axillary, 3-flowered; peduncle stout, 1.5-2 cm long. Corolla white; lobes oblong, c. 1 mm long, pedicel straight, enlarged and up to 8 mm in fruit. Fruit 2-5 mm in diam., covered with dense hooked hairs or setae, mericarps sometimes separated and free.

Fl. Per.: March-July.

Type: Habitat in Europe, cultis & ruderatis, Herb. Linn. 129/33 (LINN).

Distribution: Europe, North Africa, Asia minor, Siberia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

A very variable species particularly in the shape and size of leaves, length of petiole and fruit size. Often split into a number of infraspecific categories. However, the variation appears to form a continuum in our area. Any recognition of infraspecific taxa does not seem to be meaningful. A common weed of plains to 3500 m.