SPECIES DESCRIPTION
LIMONIUM SITIACUM
Including
Family and Genus:- See- PLUMBAGINACEAE
Common Names:- None
Homotypic Synonyms:- None
Meaning:- Limonium (Gr) Meadow-plant. A name used by the Greek physician
and botanist Dioscorides.
Sitiacum (L) From the area of Sitia, east Crete.
General description:- Glabrous perennial with a laxly branched woody stock,
forming loose tufts.
Stems:-
1) 10-30 cm. slender, sparingly branched, papillose and rough, sterile branches
lacking or few.
Leaves:-
1) Basal, several, suberect, in a loose rosette, spathulate and 5-8 mm wide near
the apex, sometimes folded or canaliculate, tapering to a long petiole, rounded
to truncate or mucronate at the apex, coriaceous, glaucous, densely covered
with crateriform glands.
Flowers:-
1) Spikes, long and lax, with slender, 1-3-flowered spikelets 8.5-10 mm.
2) Calyx, 6-7 mm, narrowly tubular, subglabrous.
3) Corolla, c. 9 mm, lilac
Habitat:- Halophytic communities on rocky and sandy coasts, also in dry open
shrubby vegetation on dry, rocky slopes, mainly of hard limestone, up to 200 m.
Distribution:- Endemic, restricted to hot and dry habitats in the SE Aegean area.
On Crete restricted to the east.
Flowering time:- May-June.
Photos by:- Christopher Cheiladakis
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LIMONIUM OLIGOTRICHUM Back to Top
Homotypic Synonyms:- None
Meaning:- Oligotrichum (L) Refers to the presence of just a few hairs on the upper
part of the inner bract.
Resembling Limonium sitiacum, but differing in the following characters:-
1) Narrower leaves.
2) Having more remotely arranged spikelets.
3) Somewhat shorter and hairy inner bracts.
Habitat:- Coastal limestone cliffs, occasionally in dry open shrubby vegetation on
rocky slopes up to 100 m
Distribution:- Endemic to the Aegean area and known only from a few collections;
Very rare on Crete, currently known from only one location in the far east.
Flowering time:- June-July.
Photos:- Currently unavailable
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LIMONIUM CALLIOPSIUM Back to Top
Homotypic Synonyms:- None
Calliopsium Meaning unknown.
Resembling Limonium sitiacum, but differing in the following characters:-
1) Somewhat larger in all parts.
2) Stem, smooth.
3) corolla, sky-blue.
Habitat:- Rugged limestone coast, in strongly saline habitats close to the
waterline.
Distribution:- Cretan endemic. Known only from the Northwest coast of Crete.
Very rare.
Flowering time:- June-Aug.
Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis
