ODONTITES LINKII ssp. CRETICA

Family:- OROBANCHACEAE (formerly of the Scrophulariaceae)

Common Names:- None

Synonyms:- Odontites creticus, Odontites frutescens, Odontites linkii.

Meaning:- Odontites (Gr) Tooth related, (the name in Pliny refers to its use as

a toothache remedy).

Linkii. Meaning unknown, but probably after someone.

Cretica (L) From Crete, Cretan.

General description:- Usually hairless dwarf shrub.

Stems:- Not more than 50 cm branched from the base; branches 30-90 cm, up to 6

mm diam, pendent to erect; short, non-flowering shoots present.

Leaves:- Up to 45 x 4 mm wide, Long and narrow with margins parallel to oblong,

Distinctly and sharply pointed.

Flower:- Inflorescences 3-8 cm, rather lax, not aggregated into panicles; bracts 4-7

mm, not recurved at apex and scarcely exceeding the flowers; stems (pedicels) c.

1 mm. Calyx 6 mm; teeth triangular-lanceolate, acute. corolla 7 mm with tube 4·5

mm. Anthers sparsely hairy at apex, more or less included.

Fruit:- Capsule 7mm, oblong-obovate, hairy.

Key features:-

1) Inflorescences 2-4 cm, ± lax, not aggregated into panicles.

2) Bracts not or only slightly exceeding flowers.

3) Capsule glabrous.

Habitat:- Rocky limestone slopes with mixed scrub and open woodland. (0-)400-

1500 m.

Distribution:- Endemic Crete, Karpathos & Halki. Sporadic distribution on Crete.

Rare.

Flowering time:- Aug-Nov.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton

FAMILY AND GENUS DESCRIPTIONS

OROBANCHACEAE

General description:- Perennial (rarely annual) herbs without chlorophyll, parasitic

on the roots of other phanerogamic plants (usually herbaceous dicotyledons).

Stems:- Erect, usually simple.

Leaves:- Alternate, scale-like, often succulent at first.

Flowers:- In a terminal spike or raceme, rarely in a panicle or solitary. Calyx

tubular, cup-shaped or 2-lipped. Corolla 5-lobed, 2-lipped or almost regular.

Stamens 4, arranged in two pairs of unequal length (didynamous). Ovary superior,

1-locular, with 2-4 parietal, often deeply lobed placentae; style single; stigma more

or less 2-lobed.

Fruit:- A capsule, splitting into cells, along the midrib or dorsal suture (loculicidal

capsule); seeds small, numerous.

ODONTITES

General description:- Annual, hemiparasitic herbs or dwarf shrubs.

Leaves:- Opposite, stalkless (sessile), usually narrow, entire or obscurely (rarely

conspicuously) toothed.

Flowers:- Zygomorphic, in terminal, bracteate, spike-like, directed towards one

side (secund) racemes. Calyx tubular-bell-shaped (campanulate), 4-toothed. Corolla

with a cylindrical tube and 2-lipped limb; upper lip entire to shortly 2-lobed, the

lobes not recurved; lower lip 3-lobed, lobes entire or slightly notched at the apex

(emarginate) Stamens 4, didynamous; anthers glabrous or hairy, ending equally in

a sharp point (mucronate) at the base. Stigma pin-headed (capitate).

Fruit:- Capsule loculicidal; seeds 1-2 mm, rather few, with longitudinal striae or low

ridges.

Key features:-

1) Seeds with longitudinal striae or low ridges

2) Inflorescence secund.

3) Leaves usually entire or subentire.