ANTHEMIS RIGIDA

Family:- COMPOSITAE/Subgen. ANTHEMIS/Sect. ANTHEMIS

Common Name:- Rayless chamomile

Synonym:- None

Meaning:- Anthemis (Gr) Flowery.

Rigida (L) Stiff, inflexible.

General description:- Low, slightly hairy annual.

Stems:-

1) 13(-15) cm, spreading becoming gradually thickened and rigid, usually numerous

and simple.

Leaves:-

1) Slightly fleshy, 2-pinnatisect, ± grey-pubescent, with broad ultimate segments.

Flowers:-

1) Peduncles, somewhat thickened and frequently arcuate, the 1-2 central ones

very short, scape-like.

2) Involucre, usually obconical.

3) Bracts, triangular-lanceolate, subequal, indurate-thickened at the base, more or

less pubescent, without or the inner with a scarious margin.

4) Ligules, rarely present.

5) Disc 3-9 mm diam.

6) Tubular florets, yellow, rarely whitish suffused with pink, not swollen below.

7) Receptacle, 1-3·5 x 3-3·5 mm, shortly conical, scales lanceolate to obovate-

cuneate, mucronate or acuminate.

Fruit:-

1) Achenes, 1·25-1·5 mm (excl. auricle), obconical, not or obscurely ribbed, with an

auricle up to 0·5 mm, or sometimes an acute rim.

Key features:-

1) Achenes of the tubular florets not tuberculate or granulate.

2) Ligulate florets absent or sterile.

3) Involucre cylindrical-obconical.

4) All involucral bracts acute, without or with a very narrow hyaline margin.

5) Stems not more than 15 cm, simple or with short branches above.

6) Ligules usually absent.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Sandy and rocky coastal habitats, loamy flats, fallow fields, phrygana,

open coniferous woodland. 0600(1100)m. up to 1900 m. in dolines.

Distribution:- Crete and Greece eastwards, including Cyprus. Widespread and

common on Crete.

Flowering time:- End of Mar to June.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton