SPECIES DESCRIPTION
ANTHEMIS RIGIDA
Family and Genus:- See- COMPOSITAE/Subgen. ANTHEMIS/Sect.
Common Name:- Rayless chamomile
Homotypic Synonyms:- 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.
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
