Family |
Santalaceae
Thesium libanoticum
Ehrenb. ex A.DC.
Endemic to Lebanon
Thesium libanoticum Ehrenb. ex A.DC.
First published in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 14: 648 (1857).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, p. 379, Pl. CXXIV, 6; 1966)
Description
Life-form & habit: Perennial, somewhat woody at the base, with thick, short, often twisted stems, creeping or ascending and reaching at most 10 cm. Stems and leaves are pale yellowish green.
Leaves: Crowded near the stem bases, pointed and somewhat thick, with membranous margins bearing minute hairs and papillae.
Inflorescence & flowers: Very short terminal inflorescences with yellow flowers; the brownish floral tube is faintly papillose.
Fruit: Brownish and nearly stalkless, with faint linear ribs. The subtending bract exceeds the fruit, while the bracteoles equal it; only a small remnant of the perianth persists at the tip.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: Flowering May–July.
Habitat & elevation: Rocks in the high Lebanon mountains.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution: Jabal Kneisse, Jourd Tannourine, Jourd Hasroun, upper Makmel, Cedars pass, Yammoune–Dimane and Qornet el Achara.
Native range: Central Lebanon according to Kew, within its Lebanon-Syria geographical unit.
⚠️ Taxonomic note:
Mouterde calls this species endemic, consistent with Kew's Central Lebanon range statement. Its Lebanese endemic status requires further corroboration.