Teucrium balearicum (Pau) Castrov. & Bayon

Spice Flower In the field 1 In the field 2

Family: LABIATAE (LAMIACEAE)

Genus: Teucrium

Sinònims: Teucrium marum L. subsp. occidentale Mus, Mayol & Rosselló

Catalan common name: Coixinet de monja. Eixorba-rates blanc.

Province distribution: Balearic Islands.

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca. Dragonera.

General distribution (Phytogeography): Mediterranean (Balearic)

Plants protected by law: Balearic Catalogue.

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Chameophyte.

Habitats: Xero-acanthic shrubs of the mountanous regions, and steppe-grasslands of Ampelodesmos mauritanica. Dry and stony soils of the mountains of Mallorca.

Characteristics: Small, rounded, cushion-like shrub, slightly spiny as the branch terminals end in a point. Leaves are triangular shaped and greyish-green in colour above and almost white beneath. Flowers at the end of spring and forms purple-crimsion flowers at the terminal branches. This species, together with Astragalus balearicus form the spiny cushion comunities (xerocanthics) of the mountains of Majorca. In Minorca and Cabrera another subspecies (subsp. marum), forms similar communities, but generally litoral in nature. For many years this species was classified as Teucrium subspinosum.