Pterocephalus lasiospermus

Rosalillo de cumbre
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Dipsacales
Family:	Caprifoliaceae
Genus:	Pterocephalus
Species:	P. lasiospermus
Binomial name
Pterocephalus lasiospermus Link ex Buch

Pterocephalus lasiospermus (rosalillo de cumbre) is a species of shrub in the Caprifoliaceae family.

Etymology

lasiospermus: lasios from the Greek, meaning "hairy" and sperma, meaning "seed", referring to it pappus.^[1] The Spanish common name means "summit rosebush" in English.

Geographic distribution

Endemic to Cañadas del Teide depression on Tenerife and the scrub of the upper zones of the surrounding pine forest. Before the creation of the Teide National Park it was very scarce due to the damage from livestock pasturing.^[2]

Description

Form shrubs up to one meter in height. Its stems are gray, with simple leaves of pale green-gray, both are hairy.^[3] It differs from other species by the inflorescence, usually single, with pale pink petals at the end of long stems.^[4] It blooms in early summer, which is late with respect to other species in their environment. As summer progresses the flower becomes a colorful ball of whitish hairy seeds.

References

1. A. J. L. Jourdan (1837). Dictionnaire raisonné, étymologique, synonymique et polyglote, des termes usités dans les sciences naturelles. Société Belge de Librairie. p. 349.
2. Proposal to inscribe Teide National Park on the World Heritage List (Report). 2006. p. 54.
3. Tenerife-ecología
4. David Bramwell, Zoë I. Bramwell (2001). Wild Flowers of the Canary Islands. Madrid: Rueda. p. 321.

External links