Herbario Virtual del Mediterráneo Occidental
Àrea de Botànica, Departament de Biologia, Universitat de les Illes Balears
Helianthemum caput-felis Boiss.
Family : CISTACEAE
Genus : Helianthemum
Province distribution : Alicante. Balearic Islands.
Distribution in the islands : Ibiza. Mallorca.
General distribution : West Mediterranean
Flowering time : February. March. April.
Life-forms : Chameophyte.
Habitat : Coastal zones.
Plants protected by law : Bern Convention. Habitat Directive.
IUCN Category : Vulnerable
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.
Status : Endèmica (Microareal).
