HELIOTROPIUM DOLOSUM

Family:- BORAGINACEAE

Common Names:- None

Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Heliotropium (Gr) Turn-with-the-sun.

Dolosum (Gr) Deceitful.

Stems:-

a) Up to 40 cm.

b) erect or ascending.

c) petioles with dense, greyish or yellowish, spreading (patent) hairs c. 1 mm.

Leaves:-

1) Lamina:

a) up to 5·5 x 2·8 cm.

b) ovate to elliptical, wedge-shaped, to rounded at the base, rounded to almost

sharp at the apex.

c) covered in soft hairs that are close to the stem, up to 3·5 cm.

Flowers:-

a) scented.

1) Sepals:

a) 0·8-1·1 mm wide.

b) lance-shaped.

c) usually covered in soft hairs that are close to the stem, curving upwards around

the developing fruit, though often spreading later.

2) Corolla:

a) 3-5 mm.

b) anthers 1·1-1·5 mm.

c) Stigma conical, hairy.

Fruit:-

1) Nutlet:

a) hairless (glabrous).

b) smooth.

Key features:-

1) Fruit glabrous.

2) Sepals lanceolate.

3) Anthers 1-1·5 mm.

4) Stigma usually densely hairy.

Habitat:- Mainly in coastal habitats, but also in harvested fields, dry open shrubby

vegetation and waste ground some distance inland, up to 500(-800) m.

Distribution:- Rather rare and scattered outside the Aegean area. - C & E

Mediterranean region and SW Asia, eastwards to Afghanistan. Limited distribution

on Crete scattered around the coastal areas.

Flowering time:- End of May to Sept.

Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis