Flora-Fauna

Clinopodium nummulariifolium (Boiss.) Kuntze

(First published in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 515 (1891); Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2; 1969)

• Life-form & habit : Perennial chamaephyte forming low, creeping mats; stems slender, prostrate to ascending, rooting at the nodes, pubescent.

• Leaves : Opposite, shortly petiolate; blades orbicular to broadly ovate (5–15 mm), margins crenate; both surfaces pubescent, green.

• Inflorescence & flowers : Axillary verticillasters, few-flowered; calyx tubular, 5-toothed, pubescent; corolla bilabiate, pale pink to lilac; stamens 4, didynamous.

• Fruit : Nutlets 4, small, enclosed within the persistent calyx.

• Phenology : Flowers from May to July.

• Habitat & elevation : Rocky slopes, shaded crevices, and montane habitats; 1200–2200 m.

• Lebanese distribution : Mount Lebanon range, mainly in high montane zones.

• Native range : Lebanon.

• Conservation notes : Assessed as Endangered (EN) according to IUCN criteria (as compiled in the Red List of the Vascular Flora of Lebanon); restricted range and habitat specificity make it vulnerable to grazing and habitat disturbance.

• Diagnostic remarks : Distinguished by its small, rounded leaves and creeping habit; a narrow Lebanese endemic clearly separated from other regional Clinopodium species by its nummular foliage and mat-forming growth.