THESIUM HUMILE

Family and Genus:- See- SANTALACEAE

Common Names:- Field bastard-toadflax

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Thesium (L) A name used by the Roman naturalist and philosopher

Pliny for a bulbous root.

Humile (L) Low-growing, close to the ground.

General description:- Annual.

Stems:-

1) 5-20 cm, ascending to erect, usually branched from the base with long, simple

branches.

a) fruiting, densely covered with nuts.

Leaves:-

1) Linear or narrowly linear, rather fleshy, margins denticulate, 1-veined.

Flowers:-

1) Inflorescence, often subspicate, sometimes paniculate.

2) Bract, 2-5 times as long as the flower or fruit;

a) bracteoles, usually equalling the flower or fruit.

3) Perianth, infundibuliform, 5-lobed.

Fruit:-

1) Nut, subglobose, reticulately, veined, 5-6 times as long as the persistent

perianth.

Key features:-

1) Bract, distinctly longer than, rarely shorter than the flower.

2) Nut, reticulately veined (sometimes indistinctly so).

3) Fruiting stems, ascending to erect, densely covered with nuts.

Click here for a glossary of terms used

Habitat:- Rocky slope with dry open shrubby vegetation, coastal habitats, fallow

fields, along tracks. 0-800 m.

Distribution:- Scattered in coastal areas of W Greece, rare in the interior. - From

the Canary Islands and Tunisia throughout the throughout the Mediterranean region

and eastwards to W Iran. Somewhat scattered across Crete, but more so in the

east.

Flowering time:- Mar-June.

Photo by:- Dr Armin Jagel