Flora-Fauna

Limonium mouterdei Domina, Erben & Raimondo

(First published in Fl. Medit. 18: 335; 2008)

• Life-form & habit: Perennial herb with a woody caudex at base; flowering stems erect, forming compact tufts.
• Leaves: Basal leaves forming rosettes, oblong to spatulate, coriaceous, entire to slightly undulate, glabrous, bluish-green.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Inflorescence paniculate, branched; spikelets congested, each with several small flowers. Calyx tubular, membranous, persistent; corolla with purple petals, exserted beyond the calyx.
• Fruit: Small nutlet enclosed in the persistent calyx.
• Phenology: Flowers in summer (July–September).
• Habitat & elevation: Coastal rocky cliffs and saline habitats; restricted to the littoral zone.
• Lebanese distribution: Endemic, known only from a few sites along the Lebanese coast.
• Native range: Endemic to Lebanon (POWO, protologue).

⚠️ Taxonomic note: Described as a distinct species in 2008, dedicated to Père Henri Mouterde, author of Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie. It differs from related Limonium species in Lebanon by its rosette of coriaceous leaves, paniculate inflorescence, and calyx and corolla proportions.