Nomenclature

Species name:

Author(s):

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Common names:

Maltese name:

Plant Family:

  ( Family)

Name Derivation:

= Old name coming from the species Inula helenium and generalised for the whole genus. Old belief says that this I. helenium grew up from the tears which poured down from Helen of Troy. Also Inula in Latin is the name for Helen - being thought to be a corruption of Helenula meaning little Helen. (Latin)
= Having characteristics resembling the genus Crithmum, or precisely the plant Crithmum maritimum - the Sea Samphire. (Latin)

Synonyms:

No Main Synonyms

Remarks:

-

Morphology

Specifications & Description

Life Cycle:

Growth Form:

Soon to be updated...

Habitat:

Frequency:

Undetermined

Localities in Malta:

Plant Height:

Flowering Period:

Protection in Malta:

Not Protected by Law (LN200/2011 or LN311/2006)

Red List 1989:

Not listed in the Flora section of the National Red Data Book (Lanfranco, 1989)

Poison:

Inula crithmoides is a small or low-growing shrubby plant forming many leafy branches. Although specimens are often less than 1.5 metre accross in size, larger exceptional specimens can be found. Only few mature branches are found to sub-branch at the upper parts into much smaller branches. The stems are glabrous and can turn woody with time.

Leaves are numerous and often seen curved upright to take a vertically erect position. They are sessile and arranged alternatively along stem. New leaflets grow in small clusters form the axil of some mature leaves. Each leaf is glabrous, linear-succulent (finger-like shape) and possess smooth outline. Some specimens have more flattened but still fleshy leaves with 3 tiny teeth at their tip. Mature leaves measure about 45mm in length and 2-4 mm in diameter. Leaves have an aromatic-salty taste.

Flowers are produced in loose clusters mostly along the upper half of the branch, but the first flowers to develop are always present at the tip of the branch, with new flowers developing progressively downwards along the branch.

Each flower is made up of a green, semi-spherical or rather cylindrical involucre made up of numerous tiny, flap-like phyllaries tiled over each other (imbricated). Each phyllary is completely green, pointed at the apex and glabrous. The corolla usually consists between 12-18, bright yellow ray florets or 'petals' that are strap-shaped and have 3 teeth tiny teeth at the tip. The number of petals is quite variable. At the centre of the flower lies the disc florets (each about 1-2mm in size) which have a 5-lobed corolla, from which yolk-yellow stamens fused around a common style protrudes out. The style splits in two conspicuous dull-yellow stigmas at the top. Disc-florets develop from the periphery to the centre of the capitulum. Flowers have a semi-sweet/aromatic scent.

The flower matures in a fruit which initially is enclosed in the involucre, but when ripe, the involucral phyllaries spread out open exposing the numerous ripe achenes (seeds) on the receptacle. Achenes are 5mm long and consists of a 2mm linear, light-brown seed coveryed with tiny stiff hair and a bristly, light brown, unbeaked pappus. The bristles of the pappus are simple (unbranched) and about 3-4mm long. Seeds are dispersed to considerable distances by wind.

Being a (semi-)succulent plant, Inula crithmoides grows well in the arid conditions of Summer in Malta and can withstand salt (halophyte). As a result it is especially found along many rocky coasts in the Maltese Islands. Since it produces numerous flowers in Summer and Autumn, it is beneficial to several insects (bees/wasps/butterflies) since during this period many wild plants are dormant and not in flower.

Information and Details

Nativity and Distribution

Found in almost all coasts lining the mediterrenean and also in Great Britain. up to Essex - almost at the northernmost range of its distribution (there are a few plants in Suffolk)  [336] .

Inula and its connection with Helen of Troy (Mythology)

Inula is allegedly connected with Helen of Troy who, it is said, held a bunch of Inula helenium when she was abducted by Paris.  [WWW-101] . Helen of Troy had a large arm full of these flowers when Paris stole her from her husband Menelaus that started the Trojan War that lasted ten years. When Paris was killed Helen returned to Menelaus and through difficulty they returned to Sparta where they lived happily ever after.  [WWW-100] Its Latin name means Helen where "inula" is being thought to be a corruption of Helenula - "little Helen".  [WWW-101]

Another derivative of the genus name is also connected to Helen of Troy. Her tears watered and let to grow the plant Inula helenium.  [WWW-56]

Reference  [WWW-101] gives several other examples from where Inula could be derived. Inula, the Latin classical name for the plant, is considered to be a corruption of the Greek word Helenion which in its Latinised form, Helenium, is also now applied to the same species. There are many fables about the origin of this name. Gerard tells us: 'It took the name Helenium of Helena, wife of Menelaus, who had her hands full of its flowers when Paris stole her away into Phrygia.' Another legend states that it sprang from her tears: another that Helen first used it against venomous bites; a fourth, that it took the name from the island Helena, where the best plants grew.  [WWW-03]

Medicinal Uses

The roots are claimed to have medicinal properties as a tonic  [337]

Edible Uses

Young leaves are eaten raw or cooked  [61, 105, 177] . They are occasionally used as a potherb  [183] . The fleshy leaves and young shoots are pickled and used as a relish in salads etc  [2, 66, 115, 183] . They are sometimes used as an adulterant of the true sea samphire, Crithmum maritimum  [183] . The plant is traditionally consumed in Lebanon  [337]

Throughout Europe, the flower buds were pickled and sometimes mixed with Salicornia. In Lebanon, the young succulent leaves are eaten raw in salads, cooked or used as a potherb. With good protein content (13%) (12.7% according to reference  [337]), it has good potential as a quality animal feed supplement. When used as fodder, many of these succulents must be processed or leached in order to compensate for high levels of salt in their tissue.  [WWW-102] . This plant is a high-Iodine vegetable where Iodine levels ranged between 0.8 and 1.4 mg/kg on Dry Weight basis. [337]

Cultivation and Propagation details

Succeeds in an ordinary garden soil in a sunny position  [1] . One report says that the plant dislikes shade whilst another says that it succeeds in a shady border  [37] . The plant needs to be watered frequently and given some salt occasionally  [37] . Propagation from seed is done by sowing in spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. If sufficient seed is available, it is worthwhile trying a sowing in situ in the spring or the autumn.  [KF]

Saline properties

Inula crithmoides is an iodine-rich herb commonly found in the salt marshes and coastal regions of Europe. When evaluated for use in biosaline agriculture, its germination and growth were relatively unrestricted in salinity regimes under 20 dS/m, with some populations withstanding up to 56 dS/m.  [WWW-102]

Suitibility of Inula crithmoides in saline agriculture.

Inula crithmoides, a common halophyte from the coast of Lebanon, was evaluated for use in saline agriculture. Inula crithmoides offshoots were collected from the wild and propagated in a controlled environment. Germination and rooting tests under various salinity regimes ranging from 0.5 to 80 dS m-1 (NaCl) demonstrated a severe restriction of germination above 20 dS m-1 and indicated that vegetative propagation is probably the main reproduction strategy in saline environments. The growth of potted plants grown under 5 levels of salinity for a period of 87 days was only affected by salinity exceeding 20 dS m-1. Yield of plants irrigated with 40 dS m-1 saline water was nearly half that of the no-salt control. Mean yield value for plants grown at 20 dS m-1 reached 18.3 g dry weight (DW) per plant. At this salinity, crude protein content averaged 12.7% mg kg-1, and shoot iodine contents ranged between 0.8 and 1.4 mg kg-1 DW, making I. crithmoides a good-quality fodder, and an iodine-rich vegetable. This species also exhibited ionic relations typical of halophytes, with shoot K/Na ranging between 0.1 and 0.4, indicating that it can substitute Na for K. It is concluded that Inula crithmoides can be a good candidate for use in saline agriculture, provided a selection process is initiated to identify high yielding varieties.  [337]

The suitability of Inula crithmoides L. as a coastal zone indicator in the Island of Gozo

Inula crithmoides L. is a halophilic angiosperm that has been used to assess the extent of the coastal zone of the islands. The distribution of I. crithmoides was investigated using Point-Quarter Vegetation Sampling, and the resultant data was analysed using multivariate statistical techniques.

Results indicate that abundance and density of I. crithmoides are significantly greater close to the coast than in inland areas. The relative importance of I. crithmoides in the context of the communities in which it occurs also decreases with distance from the coast. Conclusions drawn from these results justified the suitability of the use of I. crithmoides as a coastal zone indicator for a number of reasons, namely: its concentration around the coast, its abundance, and for the fact that it is easily identifiable.  [335]

Personal Observations

Variation of the plant
Two small morphological variations were observed after studying several specimens of Inula crithmoides in the Maltese Islands. One variation is present in the leaf tips and the other in the flower size and its number of ray florets. The upper part of the leaves are usually smooth, having an entire outline (finger-shaped) but some specimens were more flattened and ending with 3 tiny teeth (check image INUCR26-27 below).

Secondly, flowers of the Maltese specimens tend to be rather small but the plants usually have plentiful inflorescences. Even primary flowers are generally quite small bearing about 16-20 petals, while on observing photos of flowers of specimens from other parts of Europe (Italy Spain and UK) flowers are larger with more than 30 ray-florets (petals) and more disk florets. Click on the following examples:

{example 1 }    {example 2 }    { example 3 }    { example 4 }   

This is not a conclusion that applies to all I. crithmoides plants in Malta but an observation which can further investigated.  [SM]

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