''Globularia amygdalifolia'' is a flowering plant of the family

Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae, the plantain family, is a large, diverse family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includes common flowers such as snapdragon and foxglove. It is unrelated to the banana-like fruit also called "plantain." In older cl ...

. The species is endemic to

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

.Oromí, Martín, Zurita & Cabrera, 2005 :
Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: Hongos, Plantas y Animales Terrestres.
' Gobierno de Canarias, Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación Territorial, p. 51 It is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN.

Description

Moderately to strongly branched, erect, evergreen shrub, usually 0.5–1 m, occasionally up to 2 m high. Leaves alternate, clustered towards the apices of the branches, oblanceolate, rarely lanceolate, strongly attenuate towards base, up to 12 cm long and 3 cm wide, somewhat coriaceous, glabrous, apex acute, margin entire. Inflorescence adense, globular capitule up to 2.5 cm in diameter, situated axillary on peduncles 3 to 4 cm long; groups of 5 to 10 capitules clustered towards apices of branches; peduncles, involucre, calyx and the subfusiform receptacle pubescent. Calyx deeply 5-partite, with linear to lanceolate lobes. Corolla blue to whitish blue, zygomorphic; with trifid lower lip, destitute of adimerous lower lip; tube-like basal part adaxially open; stamens, 4 long exserted, one pair inserted in the basal third of the corolla; the upper pair inserted in the middle third of the corolla.

Related taxa

''Globularia amygdalifolia'' is most closely related to ''

Globularia salicina ''Globularia salicina'' is a shrub native to the archipelago of Madeira and to the central and western Canary Islands. Description Erect shrub up to 2 m high with slender branches. Leaves 3.5-7 x 0.5–3 cm, alternate, narrowly to broadly ...

'' Lam., which is distributed in

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

and the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

, also to ''

Globularia ascanii ''Globularia ascanii '' is native to Gran Canaria island of the Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community ...

'' Bramwell & Kunkell and ''

Globularia sarcophylla ''Globularia sarcophylla'' is a plant endemic to Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Af ...

'' Svent. both endemic to the mountains of

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that co ...

. ''G. amygdalifolia'' is placed together with ''G. salicina'' in the subgenus Jasionopsis Schwarz section Lytanthus (Wettst.) Schwarz (Schwarz 1939, 1963). ''Globularia amygdalifolia'' is distinguished from ''G. salicina'' mainly by its larger leaves and capitules, somewhat more strongly divided calyx, narrower involucral scales and narrower corolla (Schwarz 1939.

Variation

No significant variation has been observed. Old plants higher than 0.5–1 m are extremely rare today. Large plants up to 2 m are only known from outer escarpments of the central caldeira on Fogo as scattered relicts of a scrub vegetation type with old individuals of ''

Artemisia gorgonum ''Artemisia gorgonum'' is a species of flowering plants of the family Asteraceae, endemic to Cape Verde. Its local name is ''losna'' or ''lasna''. The plant plays a role in traditional medicine. Description ''Artemisia gorgonum'' is an aromatic ...

'' and ''

Echium vulcanorum ''Echium vulcanorum'' is a species of flowering plants of the family Boraginaceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde.Oromí, Martín, Zurita & Cabrera, 2005 : Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: Hongos, Plantas y Animales Te ...

''.

Distribution and ecology

''Globularia amygdalifolia'' is a western hygrophyte occurring on Santo Antão, São Nicolau,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, Fogo and

Brava Brava or La Brava may refer to: Geography *Brava, Cape Verde, a volcanic island * Brava, Costa Rica, an island of Costa Rica (Isla Brava) *Costa Brava, a coastal area Mediterranean of northeast Spain *Barawa, a town in Somalia commonly known as ' ...

, but is absent from São Vicente. It is mainly occurring in the subhumid and humid zones, but it has also been reported from the arid zone on Santiago. The main altitudinal distribution is between 400 m and 2200 m. The species has been recorded from below 100 m on Santiago. The uppermost records are from the caldeira rim on Fogo up to 2400 m (leg. Killian& Leyens). The plants grow on mountain slopes and less frequently in steep cliffs and they form a characteristic, but not dominating element of the indigenous montane scrub vegetation in the Cape Verde Islands.

References

External links

* http://botany.cz/cs/globularia-amygdalifolia/ * https://www.flickr.com/photos/tlchapman/5827585778/lightbox/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Globularia amygdalifolia Globularia, amygdalifolia Endemic flora of Cape Verde