ALYSSUM STRIGOSUM

Family and Genus:- See- CRUCIFERAE/Sect. ALYSSUM

Common Name:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- Alyssum campestre subsp. strigosum, Alyssum minus

subsp. strigosum, Alyssum minus var. strigosum.

Meaning:- Alyssum (Gr) Pacifier, ancient Greek name meaning without-fury -

alluding to the supposed medicinal properties against rabies.

Strigosum (L) Scraggy, thin. lank; with rigid hairs or bristles.

General description:- Annual or perennial, usually with yellow flowers, much

branched.

Stems:-

1) Up to 40 cm., covered in stellate hairs; erect and much branched.

Leaves:-

1) Alternate, elliptic-oblanceolate, the lower often absent at anthesis, with 6-8-

rayed, subappressed stellate hairs.

Flowers:-

1) In a raceme, elongating and cylindrical in fruit.

2) Petals, c. 2.5 mm, spathulate, deeply emarginate to bifid, pale yellow.

3) Sepals, 1·5-2·5 mm, caducous.

4) Pedicels, 3-6 mm, erecto-patent.

5) Filaments, of the short stamens 1·5-2·5 mm, with connate appendages.

6) Nectaries, 0·1 mm.

7) Style, 0.5-1 mm, minutely stellate-pubescent.

Fruit:-

1) Silicula, 3·5-6 mm, suborbicular, pubescent; usually with dimorphic indumentum

of bifurcate, strigose hairs in addition to stellate hairs, valves inflated, with a

flattened margin.

2) Seeds, 1·7-2 mm; wing up to 0·4 mm wide.

Key features:-

1) Siliculae, usually with bifurcate, strigose hairs in addition to stellate hairs.

2) Petals, deeply emarginate to bifid.

3) Style, glabrous.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Rocky places, dry open shrubby vegetation, olive groves, fallow fields and

wasteground, mainly on limestone. 0-800 m.

Distribution:- Throughout Peloponnisos and mainland Greece, but rare in the west.

- Widespread in the Mediterranean region and SW Asia. Rare on Crete known from

only a few locations in the east.

Flowering time:- Mar-May(-June).

Photos by:- Courtesy of Wiki-Commons