WILD FLOWERS OF THE ALGARVE
SOUTHERN PORTUGAL

Each petal of the white star-like flowers of the Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum narbonense) has a delicate green line down its back. This flower is a member of the Lily family and looks similar to the brown tinged Asphodels.

Antirhinum graniticum is a species of snapdragon Its large white (25 mm) flowers have touches of yellow. It is a scrambling half climbing bush with fine stems and narrow lanceolate leaves.

Daphne gnidium, a medium sized bush has long slender branches completely covered with whorls of bright green lanceolate leaves. In late spring and into summer small white flowers begin to bloom at the end of some of the branches. They are delicately scented.

Fresh looking among the grey-green bushes and dying grasses is the creeper Clematis vitalba clambering vigorously over other plants. In late spring and early summer it produces pure white blossoms, each with four long petals and large numbers of anthers.

The tree heath bushes (1-4 m tall) bloom in May and June. They grow among cork oaks and at stream sides. The diagram shows their bell shaped flowers much enlarged. Each white flower is only 2-4 mm long.

Bellardia is a semi-parasitic annual which grows all over. Its flowers on four-sided spikes are white, flushed with pink.

The old dry stone walls of the Algarve countryside provide a habitat for a variety of flowering plants. A member of the Stonecrop family (Crassulaceae) grows on the walls and flowers in spring. Like all this family Sedum ochroleucum has almost round,very fleshy leaves (4 - 4 mm in diameter). It has pale greenish flowers on a reddish stem up to 30 cm high.

A plant which is found only in the Algarve and South Western Spain is the White Lavender with its green bracts. Lavendula viridis is fairly widespread and found in the same habitat as the French lavendar with its purple brants.