''Lithodora fruticosa'', or the shrubby gromwell, is a small 15–60 cm high densely branched perennial shrub. Its erect young stems are covered with short white hairs, while Its older stems have peeling grey bark and are frequently gnarled and twisted. The up to 25 mm long alternate leaves have a covering of flattened hairs and as they grow older they often develop small raised nodules or tubercules particularly near their edges which are downturned. The flowers which are about 15 mm long, vary in colour from violet to an intense blue, with a long petal tube, corolla tubes hairless on outside and only sparsely bristly-haired on the outside of the corolla lobes. Flowers from March to May. The hairy calyx has 5 lobes joined only near the base. The nutlets are up to 4 mm long.Wild Flowers of the Mediterranean, David Burnie,

Dorling Kindersley Dorling Kindersley Limited (branded as DK) is a British multinational publishing company specialising in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 63 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a subsidiary of German media co ...

Handbooks, 9 Henrietta Street,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, 1995,

Habitat

Dry ground, stony hillsides usually on

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

Distribution

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

and

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Gallery

File:Lithodora fruticosa 2601.JPG File:Lithodora fruticosa.jpg File:Lithodora fruticosa M1.jpg,

References

* Flowers of South Western Europe a field guide,

Oleg Polunin Oleg Vladimirovitch Polunin (November 1914 – July 1985) was an English botanist, teacher and traveller. He was one of three sons to the artists Vladimir Polunin, Vladimir (born in the Russian Empire) and Elizabeth Polunin. All three sons were in ...

, B. E. Smythies, 1973,

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, Ely House,

W. 1, * Mediterranean Wild Flowers,

Marjorie Blamey Marjorie Netta Blamey MBE (13 March 1918 – 8 September 2019) was an English painter and illustrator, particularly noted for her botanical illustrations for which she was described as "the finest living botanical illustrator", "the best conte ...

& Christopher Grey-Wilson, ''

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'', 1993, * Field Guide to Wild Flowers of Southern Europe, Paul Davies, Bob Gibbons, the Crowood Press,

External links

* http://waste.ideal.es/lithodorafruticosa.htm * http://floressilvestresdelmediterraneo.blogspot.no/2012/12/boraginaceae-lithodora-fruticosa.html * http://i-natura.blogspot.no/2012/04/lithodora-fruticosa-hierba-de-las-7.html * https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/186128-Lithodora-fruticosa * http://herbarivirtual.uib.es/cas-uv/especie/5881.html * http://crdp.ac-besancon.fr/flore/Boraginaceae/ESPECES/lithodora_fruticosa.htm * http://www.hipernatural.com/es/plthierba_7sangrias.html * https://www.flickr.com/photos/sveineriklarsen/14142470292/ * http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/192123/ {{Taxonbar, from=Q9023007 fruticosa Flora of France Flora of Spain Flora of Morocco Flora of Algeria