WILD FLOWERS OF THE ALGARVE
SOUTHERN PORTUGAL

The Crown Daisy is still blooming prolifically on waste land around towns and villages and along roadsides while fields are brilliant with small yellow corn buttercups, corn daisies (Chrysanthemum myconis), Anacyclus, and a very soft hairy daisy with pale lemon yellow flowers, Andryala integrifolia.

On hillsides among the among evergreen shrubs Genista hirsuta the gorse of Southern Spain,Portugal and North Africa is covered with narrow pea-like flowers.

One of the Algarve's stranger plants is the semi-parasitic Osyris alba. It is a broom-like plant with erect green stems bearing tiny (1-2 cm) narrow lanceolate leaves or, at this time of year and right through into September, tiny yellowish flowers. Male and female flowers are produced by different plants, the females producing bright red berries (8 mm in diameter with one hard seed) in summer.

The Legume family is well represented. Growing close to the edge of many roads you will see a short bushy mass of shiny dark spathulate leaves and yellow pea flowers in groups of three or four. It is Scorpiurus muricatus which often grows in association with another Scorpiurus species, (S. vermiculatus) with paler leaves and similar but solitary yellow flowers.

Small bushes of Ononis natrix with their fresh green leaves pruduce bright yellow pea like flowers.

Along the roads the Spanish Broom, a tall 3 m shrub with rush like stems produces a wonderful show of big yellow pea like flowers.

Among the many types of clover are the Star Clover, the Narrow Leafed Crimson Clover (Trifolium augustifolium) and the tiny Hop Trefoil (Trifolium campestre).

The medium sized bush with its rush like green stems bears numerous yellow flowers in clusters of 10-12. It has few leaves divided into 3 tiny leaflets.

the Jerusalem Sage Phlomis fruticosa is a flower oif the Eaqstern Mediterranean. In the Iberian peninsula and the South of France the yellow phlomis is Phlomis lychnitis. This white felted shrub bears its large yellow flowers in whorls, typical of all the Mint family.

Other less conspicuous Mints are flowering now. The Woundworts belong to this family. One of them, Stachys ocymastrum, has a large pale yellow flower worth looking at because of it unusual deeply lobed upper lip.

The Giant Fennel, Ferula communis(not illustrated) produces long flowering stems with yellow flowered umbels. These long stems when dried are believed to have been used for the the original Olympic torch.

A member of the Cress family this small yellow flower Biscutella auriculata grows in arable and waste lands.

Cerinthe major is a Honeywort. It has rather fleshy grey green leaves and flowers with a pale yellow corolla with a reddish brown to purple base. It is found throughout the Mediterranean region and in Portugal varieies with deeply purple flowers are found.

The common honeysckle ( Lonicera etrusca) of the Mediterranean garden grows wild in many different habitats throughout Portugal and the Mediterranean region. Its very fragrant flowers are followed by red berries.

Unlike the Cistus bushes its close relative this rockroseTuberaria guttata is a delicate short annual. Its yellow flowers have a purple spot at the base of each leaf.

Ranunculus macrophyllus is a large leafed hairy perenniel. Its flowers are 25-30 mm in diameter and it grows in rocky damp places.