DAPHNE SERICEA

Family and Genus:- See- THYMELAEACEAE

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- Daphne collina, Daphne oleifolia, Daphne vahlii.

Meaning:- Daphne (Gr) Old name for bay-laurel.

Sericea (Gr) With silky hairs.

General description:- Much-branched, rounded shrublet, often neatly covered by

flowers.

Stems:-

1) Shrublet, up to 100 x 100 cm,

Leaves:-

1) 20-50 x 6-12 mm, coriaceous, crowded, elliptical to broadly oblanceolate,

subglabrous above, sericeous beneath. deep green.

Flowers:-

1) Subsessile, in terminal heads of 5-15, subtended by short, ovate, sericeous,

bracts, about half as long as the hypanthium; dull rose-pink, sometimes with a

creamy tinge, fragrant.

2) Perianth tube, 6-8 mm, whitish-sericeous;

a) lobes, 2/3 as long as the tube, triangular-ovate, subobtuse.

3) Hypanthium, 6-8 mm, covered with whitish hairs.

4) Sepals, 4-6 mm, obtuse.

Fruit:-

1) Drupe, reddish-brown.

Key features:-

1) Inflorescence, with leaf-like bracts.

2) Penanth segments, triangular-ovate, subobtuse, dull rose-pink, sometimes with a

creamy tinge.

3) Leaves, sericeous or villous beneath, at least when young.

Click here for a glossary of terms used

Habitat:- Scrubland and dry open shrubby vegetation on rocky slopes with

Arbutus, Phlomis lanata, Thymbra capitata, etc. (50-)300-1200(-1500) m.

Distribution:- SW mainland Greece. - C & E Mediterranean region from Italy and

Sicily through NW, W & S Anatolia to Lebanon and Caucausus. Fairly widespread

and common on Crete.

Flowering time:- Mar-June.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton