Drimia maritima (L.) Stearn

Spice Bulb In the field Inflorescence

Family: LILIACEAE

Genus: Drimia

Sinònims: Urginea maritima (L.) Baker

Catalan common name: Ceba d'ase. Ceba marina. Ceba porrera. Ceba rotja.

Spanish common name: Cebolla albarrana.

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

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca. Ibiza. Formentera. Cabrera.

General distribution (Phytogeography): South Mediterranean

Uses and properties: Medicinal. Symbolic uses.

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Geophyte.

Habitats: Xero-acanthic shrubs of the mountanous regions, and steppe-grasslands of Ampelodesmos mauritanica. Rocky coastlines. Wild olive trees and other sclerophyllous shrublands. Juniperus phoenicea subsp. turbinata forest. Rock outcrops and mountains.

Characteristics: The sea onion is characterised by its large bulb structure located at ground level, were it can often be seen poking out just a bit. Leaves are large, up to a half a metre in length, dark green and very shiny on the obverse side. Leaves dry out during the summer. Flowers during the height of summer, that is, beginning in the first weeks in August, just before the emergence of the leaves. The flowers are white, and many emerge directly from the stem peduncle, which almost reach a metre in length. Flowers open sequentially from bottom to top and as a whole forms a very characteristic ovoid shape.