Launaea lanifera Pau

Species Species

Family: COMPOSITAE (ASTERACEAE)

Genus: Launaea

Catalan common name: Criçó.

Spanish common name: Cardavieja borde. Cardavieja lanuda. Lechuguino lanoso..

Province distribution: Alacant.

General distribution (Phytogeography): Southern Mediterranean

Plants protected by law: País Valencià Catalogue.

IUCN Category: NENot evaluated

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Chameophyte.

Habitats: Subdesertic xerosteppes, espartaes. Very dry scrub and grassland in open areas on shallow soils.

Characteristics: Shrub up to 50 cm tall, spiny. Stems woody and densely woolly at the base and nodes, with numerous branches at roughly right angles, intricate. Basal leaves well developed, distinctly longer than wide (3–20 × 0.5-2.5 cm), divided into triangular segments, densely woolly at the stem junction. Capitula pedunculate, involucre cylindrical, yellow flowers. Fruit with four prominent ribs, pappus up to 8 mm long, persistent.

Observations: Very similar to Launaea arborescens. It differs by its smaller, less robust stems covered with a whitish woolliness, persistent basal leaves, and somewhat broader capitula (±15 mm in width).