|
Olive-leaved Germander |
| This plant is brought to you by one of the project's sponsors: |
 |
| More sponsors are needed for this project [ click here ] | |
|
|
| Nomenclature |
Species name: |
Teucrium fruticans L. |
Author(s): |
Carl von Linné;
Sweden, 1707-1778
|
Synonyms: |
Teucrium angustifolium, Teucrium boeticum, Teucrium latifolium |
Common names: |
Olive-leaved Germander, Evergreen Germander, Shrubby Germander, Tree Germander |
Maltese names: |
Żebbugija |
Plant Family: |
|
Status: |
Native |
Name Derivation: | Teucrium = Greek name attributed to Germander. It is believed that it is an old name for Teucer, the first king of Troy who used this plant for the first time in as a medicine. Teucer went to Cyprus, where he founded the town of Salamis and ruled as king. (Greek origin)
fruticans = Becoming shrubby or bushy. (Latin origin) |
Remarks: |
-
|
|
| Specifications & Description |
Life Cycle: | Perennial |
Habitat: | Rocky areas such as garigues, valley sides and maquis. |
Frequency: | Common |
Localities in Malta: | Common, found throughout the Maltese Islands such as in Dingli, Mtahleb, Mellieha garigues, Wied Encita, Lapsi, Hagar Qim (Qrendi), Comino and most of Gozo's rocky coastal areas and valleys. |
Plant Height: | In rich soil, old plants can grow up to 1.5m in height. On average, plants in Malta are found as a medium-sized shrub between 50-80cm high. |
| Dec - Jun |
Poison: | Data not available |
A
multi
branched,
perennial
shrub
covered
with
numerous
leaves
all
year
round,
and
forming
plenty
of
lip-shaped
flowers
during
Winter
and
Spring.
Stem
branching
often
opposite-dessucate
from
leaf
axils.
Stems
has
a
square
cross-section
(typical
of
the
many
plants
in
the
mint
family)
with
slightly
swollen
corners.
Younger
twigs
are
covered
with
wool-like
greyish-white
hairs,
older
stems
becomes
woody.
Leaves
are
sub-sessile
-
held
by
a
very
short
petiole
about
1mm
long,
and
arranged
oppositely
along
the
stems.
Their
shape
is
lanceolate,
with
a
margin
lacking
teeth
or
lobes
-
an
important
feature
for
identification
between
other
shrubby
wild
mints
in
Malta.
Another
and
perhaps
more
important
distinguishing
feature
is
the
presencen
of
short,
wooly,
felt-like
hair
only
at
the
underside
of
the
leaves,
making
leaves
to
have
an
ash-gray
colour
below
and
glossy,
dark
green
above.
Pinnate
sunken
venation
is
seen
at
the
upper
face
while
bulging
out
at
the
lower
one.
Inflorescence
is
a
two-flowered
verticillaster,
each
growing
from
the
axil
of
the
opposite
leaf-like
bracts.
The
flower
consists
of
a
bell-shaped,
actinomorphic
calyx
and
a
zygomorphic,
lip-shaped
corolla.
The
calyx
has
5,
large,
identical,
triangualer
lobes
(ocassionally
the
upper
slightly
larger).
Alike
leaves,
they
have
an
ash-grey
felt-like
texture
as
the
lower
(=outer)
side
of
the
leaves.
The
pale
blue
corolla
consists
only
of
a
single
lower
lip,
15-25mm
long
and
decorated
with
lobes
and
coloured
venation.
Upper
lip
absent.
The
lower
lip
has
a
total
of
5
lobes,
a
pair
is
found
upright
(erect)
near
the
mouth,
forming
a
channel
like
structure
to
the
mouth,
followed
by
a
pair
of
lateral,
spreading-out,
flatenned
lobes
and
finally
a
terminal,
large,
central
lobe
pointing
down
and
sides
bent
up
(concave).
The
lateral
lobes
are
more
or
less
perpendicular
to
the
central
lobe.
The
lower
3
lobes
are
decorated
by
a
pale
violet-blue
veins,
while
the
erect
lobes
near
the
mouth
have
a
more
contrasting,
purple
venation.
Flowers
have
a
fairly
strong
sweet
scent.
The
flower
have
4
long,
parallel,
white
stamens
(c.
15mm)
that
are
curved
inwards
towards
the
lip.
They
are
of
equal
length
(outer
ones
sometines
longer
by
1-2mm),
slightly
divergent
and
each
hold
a
purple-maroon
anther.
The
pistil
consists
of
a
small
ovary
(hidden
inside
the
mouth),
a
white
style
(also
curved
inwards)
that
is
slightly
longer
from
the
stamens
and
a
bifid
stigma.
The
fruit
is
a
set
of
4
nutlets
seated
in
the
receptacle
surrounded
and
protecetd
by
a
persistant
green
calyx.
Nutlets
turn
dark
brown
when
ripe
and
drop
off.
|
|
|
|
|
| Submit own info about this plant |
Use the form below to submit more information about this plant or a related species. If the data is taken from a book, journal, website, etc, please provide the corresponding reference / website address as indicated in the form. If it is your own observation, then your name will be cited.
Your Email address will never be displayed online, it is just for internal communication.
For plant species that are marked as rare, you can also report other locations in Malta where you have seen this species.
Finally you can report any mistakes or errors found on the plant profile for necessary corrections. This will help to improve the website's acuracy.
To have more details about each particular field, just move your mouse on it and wait for the help message to pop up
* = required fields.
|
|
|
