Family |
Caryophyllaceae
Paronychia chionaea
Boiss.
Paronychia chionaea Boiss.
(First published in Diagn. Pl. Orient. 6: 25; 1846. Treated in Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, p. 456; 1966)
• Life-form & habit: Perennial, sometimes subshrubby at the base. Branches prostrate or ascending, up to 15 cm.
• Leaves: Oval to oblong, usually close, subcarenate, obtuse, with appressed pubescence; stipules hyaline, equalling the leaf.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Bracts oval, ample, acute or obtuse, mucronulate. Sepals equal, villous, oblong, obtuse, slightly concave.
• Phenology: Flowers June–July.
• Habitat & elevation: Woodland habitats.
• Lebanese distribution: N. Lattaquié: ‘Aïn Haramiyé.
• Syrian distribution: Coastal mountains — Slenfé, Col de Nébi Younès.
• Native range: Albania; Bulgaria; Crete (with Karpathos); East Aegean Islands; Former Yugoslavia; Greece; Lebanon–Syria; North Macedonia; Türkiye (Asiatic part). (Euro+Med)
⚠️ Taxonomic note: Previously misapplied as Paronychia capitata Koch, non L. Mouterde stressed its distinction by equal, villous oblong sepals and subshrubby habit.