SPECIES DESCRIPTION
HELICHRYSUM HELDREICHII
Family:- COMPOSITAE
Common Names:- None
Synonyms:- None
Meaning:- Helichrysum (Gr) Golden-sun.
Heldreichii (L) After Theodor Heinrich Hermann von Heldreich (1822-
1902). Director of the Athens Botanical Garden.
General description:- Woody-based perennial.
Stems:-
1) 30-50 cm Generally simple.
Leaves:-
1) Numerous (especially on non-flowering shoots), conspicuously long (4-8 cm),
narrowly linear. densely silvery-lanate, margins revolute.
Flowers:-
1) Capitula numerous, in a dense corymb nodding in bud.
2) Involucre ovoid in bud, c. 4 mm at anthesis, equalling the florets.
3) Phyllaries scarious, pale yellow.
4) Florets deep yellow.
Key features:-
1) Leaves numerous, 40-80 mm long, narrowly linear to linear-oblanceolate, usually
greyish-green above.
Habitat:- Crevices of vertical or slightly over-hanging limestone cliffs in gorges.
100-500 rn.
Distribution:- A rare local endemic of SW Crete, known only from the Samaria and
Aradena gorges at the S foot of Leflka Ori. Presumably related to H. Italicum
and H. stoechas.
Flowering time:- May to rnid-June.
Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis
Comments:-
This rare local endemic was first discovered by Heldreich in the Samaria gorge in
early July 1846 and has subsequently been found also in the Aradena gorge
somewhat to the east. There is a small but presumably stable population in vertical
limestone cliffs in the protected Samaria gorge. Theodor von Heldreich (1822-1902),
after whom it was named, was the leading explorer of the Greek flora over a long
period in the 19th century. Around 700 new taxa were based on his collections.1)
1) "Atlas of the Aegean Flora" Book1, Arne Strid 2016
Status:-
Greek Presidential Decree 67/81
Threatened species
Plant species with restricted geographical distribution
