Oligochaeta (plant) explained

Oligochaeta is a genus of Asian flowering plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Oligochaeta is native to central, southern, and southwestern Asia. They are annual plants that grow in mountain and steppe habitat.^[4]

It is part of the "Rhaponticum group" in the tribe Cardueae, along with the genera Callicephalus, Leuzea (including Acroptilon and Rhaponticum), Myopordon, and Ochrocephala.^[5] It can be distinguished from other genera by its pollen.^[6]

Species^{[7] [8]}

• Oligochaeta divaricata - Caucasus, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey
• Oligochaeta minima - Xinjiang, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Afghanistan
• Oligochaeta ramosa - Indian Subcontinent
• Oligochaeta tomentosa - Caucasus, Iran

formerly included^[7] Oligochaeta leucosmerinx Rech.f. & Köie - Schischkinia albispina (Bunge) Iljin

Notes and References

1. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/106835#page/48/mode/1up Koch, Karl Heinrich Emil. 1843. Oligochaeta (DC.) K. Koch 17: 42-43
2. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/150602#page/676/mode/1up Candolle, Augustin Pyramus de. 1838. Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis 6: 671
3. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40031187 Tropicos, Oligochaeta (DC.) K. Koch
4. Hidalgo, O., et al. (2008). Extreme environmental conditions and phylogenetic inheritance: systematics of Myopordon and Oligochaeta (Asteraceae, Cardueae-Centaureinae). Taxon 57(3), 769-78.
5. Hidalgo, O., et al. (2006). Phylogeny of Rhaponticum (Asteraceae, Cardueae–Centaureinae) and related genera inferred from nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequence data: taxonomic and biogeographic implications. Annals of Botany 97(5), 705-14.
6. Villodre, J. M. and N. Garcia Jacas. (2000). Pollen studies in subtribe Centaureinae (Asteraceae): the Jacea group analysed with electron microscopy. Bot. J. Linn. Soc 133, 473-84.
7. https://archive.today/20141223222401/http://dixon.iplantcollaborative.org/CompositaeWeb/Default.aspx?Page=NameSearch&searchText=Oligochaeta Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist
8. http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Compositae/Oligochaeta/ The Plant List search for Oligochaeta