Family |
Lamiaceae
Thymbra spicata
L.
Thymbra spicata L.
First published in Sp. Pl.: 569 (1753).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 3, pp. 191–192, Pl. XCIII, 1; 1983)
Description
Life-form & habit: Bushy subshrub with numerous erect, stiff, unbranched, four-angled shoots, 20–50 cm tall.
Leaves: Linear, pointed and gland-dotted, 1–2 cm long, flat or with rolled margins, hairless or fringed with hairs. Leaves on sterile shoots crowded, often clustered in the axils.
Inflorescence & flowers: Dense spikes, usually 1–4 cm long, sometimes interrupted. Numerous overlapping, narrow, reddish bracts edged with white hairs conceal the calyces. Calyx compressed, about 5 mm long, with hairs along its angles. Corolla purple, its tube almost twice as long as the calyx.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: Flowering April–May.
Habitat & elevation: Slopes in Mediterranean-climate areas, extending somewhat into the drier interior.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution: Saida, Khalde, Beirut, Amchit, Bahsas, Tripoli, Feitroun, Deir el Qamar, Ain Rihaniyeh, Antoura, Abey, Jamhour, Kfar Chima, Baabda, Broummana, Mar Yaaqoub, Qornayel, Ehden, Rachaya and Kornet el Hamra.
Syrian distribution: West of Safita, Masyaf, Slenfe, west of Eriha, east of Banias, northwest of Qatma, northeast of Bdama, Guebara, Wadi Qandil and Jabal Aqra.
Native range: East Aegean Is., Greece, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, Palestine, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe.