Thymelaea tinctoria, (Pourret) Endl.

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1981, Flora Europaea. Volume 2. Rosaceae to Umbelliferae, Cambridge University Press : 260

14. T. tinctoria (Pourret) Endl. , Gen. Pl., Suppl. 4: 66 (1847)

( Passerina tinctoria Pourret ).

Dwarf shrub 20-50 cm, with erect or decumbent, often tortuous, branched stems covered with raised leaf-scars; young shoots crispate-pubescent. Leaves 5-12x1-5- 3- 5 mm, oblong, glabrous or crispate-pubescent on both surfaces. Flowers unisexual and hermaphrodite, solitary, subtended by 2 ovate, obtuse, tomentose bracts, 1-5-3 mm long. Hypanthium 4-5 mm, glabrous; sepals 1-2 mm, broadly ovate. Fruit glabrous. Rocky woods and scrub; calcicole. • N.E. Spain; Pyrenees; two outlying stations in S. France (Gard). Ga Hs.

Dwarf plants from the Pyrenees, with small, narrow leaves and sparse indumentum, have been distinguished as T. nivalis (Ramond) Meissner in DC., Prodr. 14: 555 (1857). They are easily

confused with 15 but differ in their pubescent young shoots.They may deserve subspecific status.