SPECIES DESCRIPTION
HELICHRYSUM ITALICUM subsp. MICROPHYLLUM
Family and Genus:- See- COMPOSITAE/Sect. HELICHRYSUM/H. STOECHAS
Common Names:- Curry Plant, Italian Everlasting, Live-ever ,Sandy
Everlasting, Yellow Chaste-weed.
Homotypic Synonyms:- Gnaphalium microphyllum, Helichrysum
angustifolium subsp. microphyllum, Helichrysum microphyllum.
Meaning:- Helichrysum (Gr) Golden-sun.
Italicum (L) Italian, from Italy.
Microphyllum (Gr) Small-leaved.
General description:- Plant with woody stock, very aromatic.
Stems:-
1) 10-30(-40) cm, angular, branched, spread out then ascending, grey-felted
when young
Leaves:-
1) Alternate, simple, narrowly linear, greenish and sparsely tomentose to
glabrescent or rarely white-tomentose.
a) lower, 5-10 mm.
2) Non-flowering shoots, with numerous axillary fascicles of leaves.
Flowers:-
1) Inflorescence, 10-30(-40) cm across, yellow with only disk-florets.
2) Involucre, 2 mm in diam, oblong-cylindrical to narrowly campanulate.
3) Bracts, closely and regularly imbricate, all, except usually the outermost
glandular.
a) inner, at least 5 times as long as the outer, narrowly oblong to linear,
scarious,
b) outer, broadly rounded, coriaceous, usually tomentose.
Fruit:-
1) Achenes, with scattered shining white glands or eglandular. with a pappus.
Key features:-
1) Involucre, 2 mm diam.
2) Outer bracts, glandular on the outside.
3) Leaves, rarely more than 10 mm.
4) Very aromatic.
Habitat:- Rocky slopes with open dry shrubby vegetation, usually non-calcareous
substrates, also on small islands. 0-700(-1700) m.
Distribution:- Mostly in the W & C Mediterranean region, but extending to Cyprus
On Crete mainly confined to the high massifs.
Flowering time:- Apr to mid-July.
Photos by:- Steve Lenton
