MARRUBIUM VULGARE

Family and Genus:- See- LABIATAE

Common Names:- White horehound

Homotypic Synonyms:- Prasium marrubium.

Meaning:- Marrubium (L) A name used by the Roman naturalist and philosopher

Pliny, either from the Hebrew, marrob, for bitter-juice, or from the town of

Marrubium.

Vulgare (L) Vulgar, common.

General description:- Medium, white-downy perennial, thyme scented.

Stems:-

1) Up to 45 cm, white-lanate at least below, with many short non-flowering

branches.

Leaves:-

1) Orbicular to broadly ovate, subcordate or rounded at the base, deeply and

irregularly crenate, sparsely tomentose to subglabrous above, more densely

tomentose beneath.

2) Petioles of the lower leaves shorter than the lamina.

Flowers:-

1) Verticillasters, globose, many-flowered, distant.

2) Bracteoles, subulate, villous-plumose.

3) Calyx-tube, 3-4 mm, obscurely 10-striate, villous-pubescent, teeth 10, shorter

than the corolla, equal, patent, hamate, villous beneath, glabrous above.

4) Corolla, exceeding the calyx-teeth, white.

Fruit:-

1) Nutlets, truncate at the apex.

Key features:-

1) Calyx-teeth, 10, equal; hamate.

2) Leaves, broadly ovate to orbicular.

3) Petioles, of the lower leaves usually shorter than the lamina.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Deciduous and evergreen scrub, dry pastures, olive groves, open grassy

habitats. 0-1100 m.

Distribution:- Scattered throughout Greece. - A widespread Euro-Siberian species

and common throughout the Mediterranean. Fairly widespread across Crete.

Flowering time:- Apr-Aug.

Photo by:- Yannis Zacharakis