Helianthemum caput-felis Boiss.

Spice Flowers In the field

Family: CISTACEAE

Genus: Helianthemum

Province distribution: Alacant. Balearic Islands.

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Ibiza.

General distribution (Phytogeography): West Mediterranean

Plants protected by law: Bern Convention. Habitat Directive.

IUCN Category: VUVulnerable

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Chameophyte.

Habitats: Beaches and dunes, sandy soils. Rocky coastlines. Coastal zones.

Characteristics: This small bush is given this name because of the shape of the buds in the flowers: two sepals are smaller and they are open a bit outwards, the rest are tightly closed and very hairy, all in all it looks like the small head of an animal (a cat). The flowers are yellow and eye-catching. The whole plant, especially the leaves, is covered in hairs giving a whitish colouring to the plant. It lives in few places in Mallorca and Eivissa, in sandy soils, and also in coastal rocks.