Verbascum creticum (L.) Cav.

Spice Flower Flower 2 In the field

Family: SCROPHULARIACEAE

Genus: Verbascum

Catalan common name: Drepó. Trepó mascle.

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

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca. Ibiza.

General distribution (Phytogeography): West Mediterranean

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Hemicryptophyte.

Habitats: Cultivated fields, path and road sides, disturbed zones. Fields and road sides.

Characteristics: A robust plant widely covered by hairs. Visible is a basal leaf rosette, and from this structure emerges a central stem, also robust, covered with leaves and finished in an elongated stem with large yellow flowers. The interior flowers are pinnatisect, not dentate as V. boerhavii. Inside of the inflorescence the flowers Inside of the inflorescence the flowers are solitary on the bract axils (for V. sinuatum i V. thapsus the flowers are united in groups). The calyx is oval and dentate (not linear and simple as V. boerhavii).

Observations: In this genus interspecific hybrids are very common.