HELICHRYSUM DOERFLERI

Family:- COMPOSITAE/Sect. VIRGINEA

Common Names:- None

Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Helichrysum (Gr) Golden-sun.

Doerfleri (L) Possibly for the Austrian botanist Ignaz Dorfler (1866-

1950).

General description:- Perennial tufted (caespitose) plant, covered in soft hairs.

Stems:- Decumbent or ascending from the woody base, covered with short, white

dense, matted hairs (tomentose). Flowering stems not more than 8 cm

Leaves:- White-tomentose. Stalk (petiole) with a swelling either proximal, distal or

both. Basal 5-10(-15) x 2-3 mm; oblong-spatula-shaped (spathulate); cauline leaves

numerous, the lower 20-30 x 2-4 mm, oblanceolate-spathulate, acute, the upper

narrowly linear.

Flowers:- Small yellow flower-head (1-)2-4, outer bract forming a cup or ruff

surrounding the base of a flower (involucral bracts) ovate, the inner lance-shaped,

becoming irregularly toothed (erose) or irregularly lobed or torn (lacerate) at the

apex.

Fruit:-

Key features:-

1) Rosette-leaves 5-10(-15) mm; lower cauline leaves 20-30 x 2-4 mm .

Habitat:- Calcareous open rocky ground, often beneath spiny dwarf shrubs 800-

1400 m.

Distribution:- Endemic Afendis Kavousi & Mt. Bembonas. Rare.

Flowering time:- Apr to mid-July.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton

FAMILY AND GENUS DESCRIPTIONS

COMPOSITAE

General description:- Herbs or shrubs.

Leaves:- Alternate, opposite or arranged in a rosette (rosulate), exstipulate.

Flowers:- Small (florets), hermaphrodite, functionally male, female, or sterile, in

terminal or axillary, usually stalked (pedunculate) capitula, surrounded by an

involucre of bracts. Capitula solitary or in corymbose, less frequently racemose,

inflorescences. Calyx-limb (pappus) absent or represented by a corona, auricle,

scales, stiff hairs (setae) or simple or softly feathered (plumose) hairs. Corolla of 3

main types: (a) tubular, with (3-)4- to 5-lobed limb, actinomorphic or rarely weakly

zygomorphic; (b) tubular, with a 2-lipped limb; (c) ligulate, with a short tube and the

limb prolonged on one side into a usually 3- or 5-toothed ligule; female florets

sometimes without a corolla or with a thread-like (filiform) corolla. Stamens 5,

united with the petals (epipetalous); anthers usually united (connate) into a tube

round the style, often abruptly ending in a long tail-like or appendage tip (caudate)

or arrowhead-shaped (sagittate) at base and with apical appendages. Ovary inferior,

single-celled (1-locular); ovule solitary, basal, bent parallel to its stalk so the

micropyle is close to the point of funiculus attachment (anatropous); style solitary,

with 2 stigmatic branches.

Fruit:- A cypsela (achene).

The length of the involucre is measured from the base of the capitulum. Pappus-

hairs are described as plumose when the length of the branches is at least 3 times

the diameter of the main hair but much shorter than it.

HELICHRYSUM

General description:- Herbs or dwarf shrubs, often lanate or tomentose.

Leaves:- Alternate, simple, entire.

Flowers:- Capitula small to medium, solitary or aggregated into compound

corymbs. Involucre cylindrical-campanulate to hemispherical; involucral bracts

numerous, imbricate, scarious, white or coloured at least distally. Florets yellow, all

tubular, the outer usually female, the inner hermaphrodite, more numerous; rarely

all hermaphrodite.

Fruit:- Pappus of rough (scabrid) or shortly feathery (plumose) hairs.

Key features:-

1) Capitula solitary or corymbose, rarely in dense clusters.

2) Female florets usually few, the hermaphrodite usually numerous.

3) Involucral bracts usually bright yellow, white or red.

Sect. VIRGINEA

Flowers:- Capitula solitary, terminal, or in a more or less compact corymb;

involucre much exceeding the florets; bracts white, at first erecto-patent, then

patent, the middle usually the longest.

Status:-

Conservation status (for threatened species):-Vulnerable according to IUCN 1997.

Protection status (for threatened species):-Greek Presidential Decree 67/1981.