A. billardieri Jaub. & Spach, 111. Or. 2: 14, t. Ill (1844-6).
Low, often tortuous shrub, up to 60 cm. Old bark greyish brown to black. Young bark white, papillose-pubescent. Leaves bright green, elliptic-oblong to ovate, reticulately-nerved. Ochreae bicuspidate. Pedicels jointed in the lower half. Perianth 5-merous. Stamens 8. Styles 3. Fruiting perianth pink or pinkish-white, the 2 outer sepals much shorter than the inner sepals, and reflexed. Fruit triquetrous. Two intergrading varieties may be distinguished.
 1. Leaves 15-20 x 4-8 mm, strongly cuspidate var. tournefortii
 1. Leaves smaller, acute but not strongly cuspidate var. billardieri
var. billardieri. Syn: A. variabilis Jaub. & Spac Ill. Or. 2: 16, t. 110 (1844-6); A. billardieri sensu Boiss., Fl. Or. 4: 1022 (1879) incl. var. Fl. 5-7. Rocky slopes, steppe, dry fields, 1300-2600 m.
Type: in Syria, Labillardiere.
A3 Ankara: N W of Beypazar, Kühhne 302! A4 Ankara: Keçiören, Hacikadin valley, D. 28737! B2 Kütahya: Kütahya to Bozüyük, 12 km from Kütahya, 900 m, Hub.-Mor. 14395. B4 Ankara: Kirikkale, Sorger T-64-17-4! B5 Nevşehir: Ürgüp, 1300 m, Stainton 8469! B9 Van: Erek Da., 2600 m, D. 22926! C2 Antalya: Elmali, Bourgeau 252! C3 Isparta: Anamas Da., 1400 m, Sorger T-64-41-54! C4 Konya: 13 km W of Konya, 1170 m, Hub.-Mor. 11537. C6 Gaziantep: Gaziantep, Haradj. 1300! C7 Adıyaman: S of Kahta, Hand.-Mazz. 1958.
Greece, Aegean, W. Syria, Syrian Desert, N.W. & W. Iran, Ir.-Tur. element. Some specimens are rather variable in the number of perianth segments (some flowers having only 4), and in the lenticular shape of the fruit. In these characters the plants approach A. spinosa (q.v.). These are the plants described as A. variabilis & A. billardieri var. heteramha.