ALYSSUM IDAEUM

Family and Genus:- See- CRUCIFERAE/Sect. ALYSSUM

Common Name:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Alyssum (Gr) Pacifier, ancient Greek name meaning without-fury -

alluding to the supposed medicinal properties against rabies.

Idaeum (L) From Mount Ida in Crete.

General description:- Diffuse, procumbent, grey-green to white perennial.

Stems:-

1) Several, 3-12 cm, flowering, simple, procumbent to ascending.

Leaves:-

1) Broadly spathulate to obovate,

2) Silvery-grey,

3) Densely covered on both sides with scaly spots (lepidote), stellate hairs, 0·3 mm

in diam.,

Flowers:-

1) Inflorescence a short, subumbellate raceme, scarcely elongating in fruit.

2) Sepals 2·5-3·5 mm; caducous.

3) Petals 4-5 mm, entire.

Fruit:-

1) Silicula 5-7 mm, orbicular or ovate-orbicular, retuse, glabrous or minutely lepidote

2) Valves inflated, with narrow flattened margins, glabrous.

3) Style 1.5-2 mm.

4) Seeds 2-2·5 mm; wing 0·1-0·2 mm wide

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Key features:-

1) Sepals without a tuft of hairs at the apex.

2) Silicula glabrous or glabrescent.

3) Indumentum of leaves lepidote.

Habitat:- Calcareous screes, stony slopes and dolines with thorn-cushion

vegetation. (1300-)1800-2400 m.

Distribution:- Probably endemic to the upper parts of Mt Psiloritis where it was first

collected by Heldreich in 1846..

Flowering time:- May-June

Photo by:- Currently none available