Marrubium vulgare L.

Spice In the field

Family: LABIATAE (LAMIACEAE)

Genus: Marrubium

Catalan common name: Mal roig. Malrubí. Marreus. Marrubí.

Spanish common name: Marrubio blanco.

Province distribution: Alacant. Balearic Islands. Barcelona. Castelló. Girona. Lleida. Tarragona. València.

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

General distribution (Phytogeography): Holoartica

Uses and properties: Medicinal.

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Chameophyte.

Habitats: Cultivated fields, path and road sides, disturbed zones. Pine wood and shrubland with rosemary and thyme garigue. Path and road sides, disturbed zones.

Characteristics: A greyish srubh, it has round, dentate leaves; it can be characterised by its small white flowers, densely grouped in layers at the top of the branches. Like all the Labiate species, it has square-sectioned stems and opposite leaves. Due to the size and shape of the flowers it slightly resembles Ballota nigra, but this species has much larger, purple flowers, moreover the leaves are not greyish. It lives in slightly humanised places, along path-sides and wasteland.