Echium creticum

Echium creticum subsp. creticum

Echium creticum is a species of the genus of snake heads ( Echium ) in the family of Boraginaceae ( Boraginaceae ). The type missing on Crete, but is mistakenly named after this island.

Description

Echium creticum is an erect, biennial plant that forms a single to several flower-bearing stems. It reaches heights of growth of 25 to 90 cm. The stem has a two -shaped hairs of stiff, protruding at the base, thickened bristles and many short -fitting hair. The basal leaves and lower stem leaves are 60 to 180 mm long and 10 to 15 mm wide. Their shape is narrow verkehrtlanzettlich. They are sparsely to densely hairy with erect bristles. The stem leaves are usually narrow elliptic to oblong.

The inflorescence is a rispenähnliche Thyrse with loose fruit to maintain time - extending winding. The sepals are the heyday linear to linear- lanceolate and 7-9 mm long and longer to fruit maturity up to 12 mm. The crown 15 to 30 ( to 40) mm long, funnel- shaped, and clearly zygomorph; their color is reddish - purple or bluish- purple or pink first - carmine and blue later. She is outside densely shortly hairy with longer hair along the nerves and to the corolla lobes. One to two stamens stand out from the crown, the stamens are sparsely hairy or glabrous.

The flowering period extends from February to July.

Occurrence

Echium creticum comes in the western Mediterranean before (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, southern France, Corsica, Sardinia), but is absent in the Balearic Islands. It grows in weeds, ruderal and roadside vegetation on fallow land, slopes and meadows, ditches and roadsides up to altitudes of about 1000 meters.

System

Echium creticum was first published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum. It is subdivided into three subspecies:

• Echium creticum L. subsp. creticum:

• Echium creticum subsp. coincyanum ( Lacaita ) R.Fernandes ( syn. Echium creticum subsp algarbiense R.Fernandes. ):

• Echium creticum subsp. sauvagei ( R.Fernandes ) Valdés:

The two occurring on the Iberian Peninsula subspecies are diploid with 2n = 16 chromosomes.