ODONTITES LINKII subsp. CRETICA

Family and Genus:- See- OROBANCHACEAE

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- Odontites creticus, Odontites frutescens, Odontites

linkii.

Meaning:- Odontites (Gr) Tooth related, (the name in Pliny refers to its use as

a toothache remedy).

Linkii. Meaning unknown, but probably after someone.

Cretica (L) From Crete, Cretan.

General description:- Usually hairless dwarf shrub.

Stems:-

1) Up to 80 cm tall, brittle, often purplish, with long, ascending branches to 30-90

cm, and up to 6 mm diam, pendent to erect; short, non-flowering shoots present.

Leaves:-

1) Up to 45 x 4 mm wide, opposite, sessile, usually 10-40 mm, linear-lanceolate,

acute.

Flower:-

1) Inflorescences, 3-8 cm, rather lax, not aggregated into panicles.

2) Bracts, 4-7 mm, not recurved at the apex and scarcely exceeding the flowers,

pedicels, c. 1 mm.

3) Calyx, 6 mm; teeth triangular-lanceolate, acute.

4) Corolla, 7 mm, lemon yellow;

a) tube, 4·5 mm, cylindrical, upper lip entire or shortly bifid.

5) Anthers, included, mucronate, sparsely hairy at the apex.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, 5-6 mm, ovoid-elliptical, glabrous.

2) Seeds, 1-2 mm, longitudinally striate.

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Habitat:- Rocky limestone slopes with mixed scrub and open woodland. (0-)400-

1500 m.

Distribution:- Endemic Crete, Karpathos & Halki. Sporadic distribution on Crete.

Rare.

Flowering time:- Aug-Nov.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton