Teucrium balfourii
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Teucrium balfourii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Teucrium |
| Species: | T. balfourii |
| Binomial name | |
| Teucrium balfourii | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Teucrium balfourii is a perennial subshrub in the family Lamiaceae, native only to the islands of Socotra and Samhah in the Socotra Archipelago of Yemen.[2][1]
It was formally described in 1907 by the Austrian botanist Friedrich Karl Max Vierhapper, based on material collected by Isaac Bayley Balfour in the late 19th century. The species is named in the latter′s honor.
Identification
This is a low, prostrate to spreading subshrub forming dense mats on rocky ground. Leaves are opposite and simple. Flowers are bilabiate with four nutlets per fruit, though detailed species-level floral characters are poorly documented.
Teucrium balfourii differs from the only other member of the genus present in the archipelago, Teucrium socotranum, in being ground-hugging and having succulent-looking leaves.
Distribution and habitat
The species is restricted to the islands of Socotra and Samhah in the Socotra Archipelago. It grows mainly on rocky slopes and plateaus at mid elevations, particularly on limestone substrates in arid and semi-arid shrubland.
