Tuesday, March 29, 2016

more March flowers from the Torrevieja coast

Eruca sativa

Eruca sativa, with violet veins on the four club-shaped petals. Used as a food-plant; both leaves and buds are succulent, with a mild rocket-like tang.


Leaves of Eruca sativa




This plant was extremely common along the coast, but a frustrating search of Blamey/Grey-Wilson stubbornly failed to reveal its name. It's, in the broadest sense, a rayless chamomile, up to 50cm tall but more typically 20cm, much-branched with quite large button heads (about 2cm across) and leaves resembling an Achillea, but presumably an Anthemis or Matricaria. Occasionally, as below, it produces a few rays.

There is another picture of what's clearly the same species here (the photo is from near Malaga):
http://services.surinenglish.com/wild-flowers/rayless-chamomile-061208.php . The author states that it's Anthemis rigida, native to the NE Mediterranean, but from what I've read about the latter species it's only up to 15cm tall, and images look very different (e.g. http://www.first-nature.com/flowers/anthemis-rigida.php).

So the mystery continues.




Gynandris sisyrinchium

A small iris-like plant, apparently very common, but I was spellbound when I saw this group at Mar Azul. 





Another common plant I didn't identify, though this time just because I forgot to look it up. Too "busy" playing the guitar or reading Lope de Vega...  (An internet search strongly suggests that it's Reichardia tingitana.) 



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