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Camphorosma monspeliaca L.

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Camphorosma monspeliaca' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/camphorosma/camphorosma-monspeliaca/). Accessed 2024-11-09.

Other taxa in genus

    Glossary

    axillary
    Situated in an axil.
    calyx
    (pl. calyces) Outer whorl of the perianth. Composed of several sepals.
    corolla
    The inner whorl of the perianth. Composed of free or united petals often showy.
    linear
    Strap-shaped.
    style
    Generally an elongated structure arising from the ovary bearing the stigma at its tip.

    References

    There are no active references in this article.

    Credits

    Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

    Recommended citation
    'Camphorosma monspeliaca' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/camphorosma/camphorosma-monspeliaca/). Accessed 2024-11-09.

    An evergreen shrub up to 2 ft high, of grey, heath-like aspect; young shoots erect, slender, pale, woolly, giving off a camphor-like odour when crushed. Leaves 16 to 13 in. long, linear, covered with down; the larger ones arranged alternately, the smaller ones produced very numerously in axillary clusters 18 to 13 in. apart that really represent undeveloped shoots. Flowers very small, inconspicuous, clustered in axillary tufts; there is no corolla, the flower consisting of a four-toothed calyx 110 in. long, four stamens with protruded yellow anthers and a style with two reddish stigmas. Seeds black, shining.

    Widely spread in nature from N. Africa and S. Europe to Central Asia. I have seen it near Spalato (Split) in Dalmatia, facing the Adriatic, as a low dense bush with slender erect young shoots. A more familiar habitat is Montpellier, from which it gets its specific name. The generic name refers to the camphor-like odour characteristic of the genus. The older physicians attributed to this shrub many medicinal virtues. The young shoots produce their flowers from July onwards and die back most of their length during winter. It would make a useful plant for sunny slopes at the warmer seaside resorts.