VIBURNUM TINUS

Family and Genus:- See- CAPRIFOLIACEAE

Common Names:- Lauristinus

Homotypic Synonyms:- Viburnum hyemale.

Meaning:- Viburnum (L) Latin name for the wayfaring tree.

Tinus (L) Old Latin name for Lauristinus (=viburnum)

General description:- Evergreen shrub.

Stems:-

1) 2-4 m, twigs subglabrous or sparsely pubescent, weakly angled, purplish.

Leaves:-

1) 3-7 x 1·5-7 cm, opposite, ovate-orbicular to ovate-lanceolate, entire, obtuse or

acute, coriaceous, glabrous, shining, dark green above, sparsely pubescent or

glabrescent beneath.

a) petioles, 0·5-1·5(-2) cm, with c. 4 pairs of lateral veins beneath.

Flower:-

1) Inflorescence, 4-9 cm diam.

a) flowers, 5-9 mm diam, uniform, fertile, pinkish outside, white inside.

b) peduncle, 0·5-2·5 cm.

Fruit:-

1) Drupe, subglobose, c. 8 mm. dark blue, with a single, globose pyrene.

key features:-

1) Leaves, coriaceous, evergreen, entire.

2) Twigs, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Scrubland vegetation, orchards, roadside thickets, ruderal habitats by

villages. 0-400 m.

Distribution:- Aegean records almost certainly refer to subspontaneous material.

Native in Kerkira and maybe in coastal areas of the W mainland. - W & C

Mediterranean region (¹) Rare on Crete currently known from only one location near

Malia.

1) Atlas of the Aegean Flora (part 2 maps) Arne Strid 2016.

Flowering time:- In Apr.

Photos by:- Courtesy of Wiki-Commons.