Nigella damascena L.

Spice Fruit detail Flower In the field

Family: RANUNCULACEAE

Genus: Nigella

Catalan common name: Aranya. Barba d'ermità. Ermità. Estel. Estela-mare. Estrella de camp. Flor d'aranya. Herba de capseta. Llanternes.

Spanish common name: Ajeluz. Araña. Arañuela. Nequilla de Damasco.

Province distribution: Balearic Islands.

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

General distribution (Phytogeography): Mediterranean

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Terophyte.

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

Characteristics: This is an easily recognisable species, becuase its flowers are white with bluish tones (actually it has five sepals which look like petals), with some bracteal leaves at the base of the flowers that are so divided that they seem like threads and that suround it as if they were the legs of an insect. When it bears fruit it forms a globose fruit with a paper texture, and which is separated at the top in five points; the fruit is also surrounded by the bracts of the base. The normal leaves are also greatly divided into filiform segments. It lives along path-sides and in open fields. It flowers in spring.