ACHILLEA CRETICA

Family:- COMPOSITAE

Common Name:- Cottonweed

Synonym:- Otanthus maritimus, Diotis maritima

Meaning:- Achillea (Gr) After the Greek warrior Achilleios.

Cretica (L) From Crete, Cretan

General description:- Covered with short, dense, matted hairs, to a more or less

hairless dwarf shrub.

Stems:-

1) Up to 40(-60) cm, ascending, much-branched above.

Leaves:-

1) 2-8 cm, terete, sessile, patent, rarely glabrous, 1- to 2-lobed, the lobes

Flowers:-

1) Corymbs. with 4-9 capitulum.

2) Peduncles, (5-)10-15(-25) mm diam.

3) Bracts, 2-3 mm ovate, obtuse, usually tomentose, with a scarious margin.

4) Ligules, 3-4 mm, ovate-oblong, white.

Fruit:-

1) Achenes, c. 4mm. curved.

Key features:-

1) Primary segments of cauline leaves mostly without a single, distally directed

tooth near the base.

2) Leaves with suborbicular lobes

Habitat:- Crevices and ledges of limestone cliffs, usually near the sea,

occasionally on rocky slopes with open dry shrubby vegetation, also on small

islets. 0-300(700) m.

Distribution:- Limited distribution in the Aegean region and local in SW Anatolia.

Somewhat limited distribution on Crete mainly around western coastal habitats.

Flowering time:- Apr-July.

Photos by:- Yannis Zacharakis and Manolis Petakakis