Author: آمنه غلامی 
Cousinia seidlitzii Bge.
Parvin Salehi Shanjani, Bahare Afsharnezhad, Hossein Maroufi and Amene Gholami
Natural Resources Gene Bank, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran, Iran.
Uploaded at october 2025
Scientific editor: Masoumeh Izadpanah
Seed Storage
The storage behavior of this species is orthodox (desiccation-tolerant seeds), dry to 15-20% eRH, and store at -20°C.
Germination requirements
The seeds of this species have non-deep dormancy. Sterilize seeds before placing them on wet germination paper. Place seeds for two weeks at 4 ºC to germinate uniformly. Then germinate under an alternating temperature regime of 15/20 ºC (the higher temperature for 16 hours in light and the lower one for eight hours in dark).
Morphology
Fruit type: Achene
Fruit shape: Slightly cuneiform, dorsal side slightly convex, ventral side flat, base narrowed to hilum, pappus deciduous. Surface glabrous, longitudinaly reticulate, lusterless, brown with dark brown patterns
Fruit size: length 4.72 to 5.52 mm, width 2.40 to 2.80 mm in an accession from Divandarreh, Kurdistan, with 1000 seed/fruit weight 4.2 g, which was collected in 2019 by Hossein Maroufi and is stored in the Natural Resources Gene Bank of Iran with the accession number 47550.
Average 1000 seed/fruit weight: 4.2 g
Biological features
Life form: Perennial, spiny, pubescent. Stems erect, 20 to 35 cm long
Inflorescence, flower type, and pollination mechanism: Capitula arranged as corimb-like inflorescence, capitulum discoid, with 16 to 24 florets, florets about 12 mm long, yellow; involucre ovoid or wide ovoid, lenght 12 to 15 mm, width 7 to 10 mm, involucral bracts multiseriate. Plant monoecious, cross-pollinated. Pollination is carried out by insects and wind.
Time of flowering: Early summer
Time of seed ripening: Mid-summer
Seed dispersal methods: Seed weight
Geographical distribution: Iran and Caucasus. Typus from Talish, Iran
Distribution in Iran: Northwest. Mostly in Gilan, Azerbaijan and kordestan provinces
Taxonomy
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Cousinia
Species: C. seidlitzii
Persian name: Hezarkhar-e daryacheyi
References and Links
Assadi, M., Mehregan, I. 2017. Flora of Iran, No. 125: Asteraceae, Cousinia. Institute of Forests and Rangelands Press, Tehran, Iran, 396 pp.
Black, M. and Bewley, J.D. 2000. Seed technology and its biological basis. Sheffield Academic Press, 1-419 pp.
Bojňanský, V. and Fargašová, A. 2007. Atlas of seeds and fruits of central and East-European flora: the Carpathian Mountains region. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1046 pp.
Ghahraman, A. Flore of Iran. Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands with University of Tehran Publication. https://floraofiran.net/index.php.
Mozaffarian, V.A. 1998. Dictionary of Iranian plants names. Farhange Moaser Publisher, Tehran, 671 pp.
Mozaffarian, V.A. 2012. A Pictorial dictionary of botany. Farhange Moaser Publisher, Tehran, 1088 pp.
Sharma, O.P. 2009. Plant taxonomy 2E. Tata McGraw-Hill Education, New Delhi, 563 pp.
