ALYSSUM UMBELLATUM

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

Common Name:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

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

alluding to the supposed medicinal properties against rabies.

Umbellatum (L) Umbelled.

General description:- Grey annual

Stems:-

1) 5-10(-15) cm. usually slender and ascending.

Leaves:-

1) Well spaced, but sometimes crowded below the raceme, narrowly oblanceolate,

greyish green, with 6-8 rayed stellate hairs.

Flowers:-

1) Inflorescence, a simple, umbellate raceme, not or scarcely elongating in fruit.

2) Sepals, 2-2·2 mm, caducous.

3) Petals, 2-3 mm, truncate to slightly emarginate, pale yellow,

4) Pedicels 3-5 mm, erecto-patent.

5) Style, 1-1.5 mm.

Fruit:-

1) Siliculae 3-5·5.5 mm, ovate to broadly elliptical, obtuse; valves moderately

inflated, without well defined flat margins, covered by 8-12-rayed, appressed

stellate hairs.

2) Seeds, 1·7-2·1 mm, narrowly winged.

Key features:-

1) Annual.

2) Style, 0·8-1·5(-2) mm.

3) Raceme, subumbellate in fruit.

4) Silicula, ovate, the valves inflated.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Open cultivated ground, sandy or gravelly seashores, riverbeds, pastures,

dry open shrubby vegetation and openings in coniferous forest, on various

substrates. 0-700(-1200) m.

Distribution:- NE mainland Greece. - SE Balkan Peninsula, W Anatolia, Crimea,

Cyprus and W Syria. Very rare on Crete currently known from one area in the Dikti

mountains.

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

Photos by:- Charalambos Chiotelis