''Bupleurum fruticosum'' or shrubby hare's-ear is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus '' Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plan ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the Mediterranean region. It lives in sunny hills, walls and rocky places.

Description

This plant is an evergreen shrub up to tall, with simple, obovate, blue-green leaves and clusters of tiny yellow flowers. It is in flower from June to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by wasps. The plant is self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife.

Cultivation and uses

It grows in any well-drained soil in a warm sheltered site with full sun. It propagates by seed in containers in a cold frame in spring, and semi-ripe cuttings can also be rooted in summer. This species makes a very good wind-shelter hedge in exposed maritime positions, though it is slow growing. Plants can be used as a tall ground cover when planted about apart each way.

References

fruticosum Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Apiaceae-stub