PHLOMIS FRUTICOSA

Family and Genus:- See- LABIATAE

Common Names:- Jerusalem sage

Homotypic Synonyms:- Phlomis collina.

Meaning:- Phlomis (Gr) Flame, (the hairy leaves were used as lamp wicks).

Fruticosa (L) Of shrub-like habit.

General description:- Bushy shrub.

Stem:-

1) Generally 70-130 cm tall, eglandular.

Leaves:-

1) Lower, 3-9 cm, elliptical, lanceolate or lanceolate-ovate, truncate or cuneate at

base, entire or crenulate, coriaceous, shortly stellate-tomentose above, white-

stellate-tomentose beneath.

2) Petiole, up to 4 cm.

Flowers:-

1) Floral leaves, sessile or petiolate, mostly lanceolate, obtuse.

2) Verticillasters, (6-)14- to 36-flowered.

3) Bracteoles, 10-20 x (2-)3-7 mm, obovate, ovate-lanceolate, oblanceolate or

elliptical, acuminate, straight at apex, stellate-tomentose, ciliate or not, with

hairs 2-3 mm.

4) Calyx, 10-19 mm, stellate-lanate, not ciliate;

a) teeth, 1-3·5(-4) mm, subulate.

5) Corolla, 23-35 mm, yellow.

Fruit:-

1) Nutlets, glabrous or pubescent, often pilose at the apex.

Key features:-

1) Leaf blade, truncate or broadly cuneate at the base.

2) Bracteoles and calyces, with a mixture of glandular and eglandular hairs.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Open dry shrubby vegetation and open woodland on dry, stony slopes,

often gregarious in burnt or overgrazed areas. 0-800(-1200) m.

Distribution:- Mainland Greece, Sardinia and Italy eastwards, On Crete mainly

Central and west.

Flowering time:- Late Mar to early June

Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis