Xanthium orientale L. subsp. italicum (Moretti) Greuter

Spice Female capitulums In the field

Family: COMPOSITAE (ASTERACEAE)

Genus: Xanthium

Sinònims: Xanthium echinatum Murray subsp. italicum (Moretti) O. Bolòs et J. Vigo

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

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca.

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Terophyte.

Habitats: Cultivated fields, path and road sides, disturbed zones. Non-saline wetlands (intermittent watercourses, streams, artesian wells, ditches). Humid and disturbed soils. Torrents.

Characteristics: A broad-leaved plant, clear green in colour, and soft to the touch, reminiscent of he leaves of some Malvaceae. The female capitula are ovoid and covered with spiny emergences, with two beak-shaped emergences on the upper half. (for the description of Xanthium capitolum consult the entry forXanthium spinosum). Lives in wet soils of disturbed areas. Flowers in the summer and fall. Species introduced from the Americas.