SPECIES DESCRIPTION
LIMONIUM HIERAPETRAE
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.
Hierapetrae (L) Possibly meaning its geographical location i.e
Ierapetra, Crete.
General description:- Glabrous perennial, forming a sub-shrub 30-80 cm tall, with
several erect to ascending stems and a robust tap-root.
Caudices:-
1) 3-15 cm long, branched, densely spirally leafy in the upper third, living leaves in
rosettes at apices.
Stems:-
1) 25-75 cm long, green, slightly flexuous, rugose, branching begins above the lower
third of the stems.
2) Branches:-
a) sterile, absent or 1-4 per stem, 10-35 mm long, straight, undivided.
b) fertile, 10-30 cm long, slightly flexuous, straight to slightly curved, directed
obliquely upwards, forming branching angles of 35°- 50°, in the upper
half branched.
Leaves:-
1) Fleshy, pale green, flat, smooth, 35-120 x 9-18 mm, oblong-lanceolate to oblong-
spathulate, apex obtuse to rounded, sometimes shortly mucronate, retuse, 1
central nerve with 2 lateral nerves at least on large leaves, gradually tapering into
the petiole.
Flowers:-
1) Inflorescence obtrullate in outline
2) Spikes, 30-120 mm long, straight to slightly curved, directed obliquely upwards.
a) spikelets 6.5-7.3 mm long, composed of 1-2 flowers, arranged very remotely
biseriately with 1-4 per 2 cm
3) Bracts:
a) outer, 2.0-2.5 x 2.1-2.3 mm, triangular-ovate, acute; bract margin broadly
membranous; central part slightly fleshy, acuminate.
b) middle, membranous, 2.4-3.0 x 1.6-1.9 mm, oblong-elliptic, rounded.
c) inner, (5.0-) 5.4-6.0 x (3.8-)4.0-4.3 mm, oblong-obovate, rounded; margin
broadly membranous; central part fleshy, 4.0-4.6 x 2.1-2.5 mm, oblong to
oblong-obovate, acuminate, forming a triangular tip, 0.7-0.9 mm long, not
reaching the upper margin.
4) Calyx, 5.0-5.5 mm long, exceeding the inner bract by 1.3-1.5 mm.
a) tube, unilaterally sparsely to densely long hairy, with 5 ribs ending above the
base of the lobes;
b) lobes, ca. 0.8 × 1.2 mm, broadly semi-elliptic.
5) Corolla, blue-lilac.
Habitat:- On maritime sand and calcareous conglomerate. 0-5 m.
Distribution:- Cretan endemic. Southern coast from Tsoutsouros to Goudouras
Flowering time:- Apr-May, and perhaps also later.
Photos by:- Steve Lenton
Status:-
Conservation status (for threatened species): Vulnerable (V) according to IUCN
1997
