Sideritis briquetiana Font Quer & Pau
S. pusilla subsp. briquetiana (Font-Quer & Pau) D.Rivera & Obón
Spa.: Rabogato. Fre.: Crapaudine.
Subshrub, evergreen, hermaphrodite, up to 60(80) cm in height, erect, very ramose, with tortuous trunk, clearly woody and with very erect branches, woody at least in their lower half, densely hairy, but without glandular hairs as in other species in the genus. Leaves (15-30 × 4-6 mm) opposite, oblanceolate, acute, long and narrowly attenuated at the base, appearing as if they were petiolate, but they are sessile, with serrate or pinnatilobed margin, green and villous on both sides, without glandular hairs. Inflorescence in terminal spikes, 10-24 cm, composed of 8-15 verticillasters of about 6 flowers each, surrounded at the base by ovate or broadly ovate bracts, green, villous, with lanceolate and acute teeth, especially at the base, with the apex usually almost entire. Calyx campanulate (6-9 mm long) with 5 subequal teeth, villous, without glandular hairs. Corolla very small, white, bilabiate, with upper lip longer, oblong, slightly notched, and lower lip ending in 3 small teeth. Fruit is ovoid, very small (1.8-2.2 mm), included in the calyx.
Flowering:
May to July.
Fruiting:
July to August.
Habitat:
Cleared forests and thickets. From semiarid to subhumid bioclimate, on thermomediterranean and mesomediterranean floors.
Distribution:
Endemic to the plains and plateaux of NE Morocco, common in the mountains of the eastern Rif between the Afsou plains and Hassi-Berkane, and it is especially abundant in the Kerker Mt.
Observations:
After clearing of forest and thickets, this plant quickly colonises the ground, becoming the dominant species in some areas.
Conservation status:
Rare species with a small distribution area. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.