Scorpiurus sulcatus L. var. sulcatus

Family: LEGUMINOSAE

Genus: Scorpiurus

Province distribution: Alacant. Balearic Islands. Tarragona. València.

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca. Ibiza. Formentera. Cabrera.

General distribution (Phytogeography): South Mediterranean

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Terophyte.

Habitats: Cultivated fields, path and road sides, disturbed zones. Pine wood and shrubland with rosemary and thyme garigue. Therophytic calicole fields. Fields, pine woodlands.

Characteristics: Although this species belongs to the Leguminosae, Scorpiurus is a genus that has simple leaves, with a petiole that gradually forms the leaf lamina, more or less lanceolate in form. This fruit of this species is densely covered with small needle-like emergences, and the whole structure forming a helix in a one dimensional plane. To the contrary, the needles of Scorpiurus subvillosus are more dense and the fruit spirals into a chaotic, three-dimensional mass of snailshell turns. Lives in wastelands and terraphytic fields. Flowers from the end of winter to the beginning of summer.