Argemone subfusiformis Ownbey in Brittonia 13: 102, ff. 12 - 14 . 1961.

Herbs or shrubs, annual or subperennial, prickly, 40 - 100 cm high, with perpendicular or reflexed prickles on stems. Leaves glaucous, lobed, with equal sinuses, dentate along margins with acute teeth, prickly on lower surface, smooth on upper surface. Flower buds oblong, 15 - 20 x 8 - 12 mm, prickly; flowers 2.8 - 4.6 cm across. Sepals 10 - 14 mm long, with terete horns. Petals cuneate, suborbicular, lemon-yellow. Stamens 25 - 30, yellow. Stigmas 2 - 3 mm broad, 1.5 - 2 mm long, purple; lobes narrow, spreading. Capsules subellipsoid or subfusiform, 29 - 45 x 14 - 15 mm, 3 - 4 (-5)-carpellate; styles 0.5 - 3 mm long, armed with patent subequal spines; seeds many, more or less rounded, 18 - 25 mm long, blackish brown.

Fl. & Fr. April - Nov.

Distrib. India: Rajasthan (Udaipur).

Native of S. America.

Notes. Malik & Grover (in Indian For. 95(7): 480 - 481.1969 & in Sci. & Cult. 41(5): 220 - 223. 1975) report this for India from Udaipur. It is distinguishable by the larger flowers and subellipsoid to subfusiform capsules.

Chromosome no. n = 14, 28 (Mary et al., I. c.).