Hypochaeris achyrophorus L.

Spice Flower In the field

Family: COMPOSITAE (ASTERACEAE)

Genus: Hypochaeris

Province distribution: Alacant. Balearic Islands. Castelló.

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. Therophytic calicole fields. Therophytic communities.

Characteristics: This is a small herb which goes easily unnoticed but is very frequent in all the islands. It lives in the clearings in garrigues (Mediterranean woodland) and in pine woods, also along path-sides. It has a rosette of basal leaves, which often have a round shape but which can also be long, although they are never greatly divided, at most lightly dentate. The inflorescence is the typical yellow capitulum that is so frequent in Mediterranean Compositae, although the stem holding them is usually branched in a characteristic asymmetrical way. It can be mistaken for other Compositae if we do not pay attention to the small details which distinguish them.