Sideritis

Sideritis subsp. var.
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Sideritis (also known as ironwort, mountain tea and shepherd's tea) is a genus of flowering plants well known to man for their medicinal properties.

The genus is composed of short (8-50 cm), xerophytic subshrubs or herbs, annual or perennial, that grow at high altitudes (usually over 1000 m) with little or no soil, often on the surface of rocks.

It is pubescent, either villous or coated by a fine, woolly layer of microscopic intertwined hairs.

Sideritis inflorescence is verticillaster.

Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Sideritis (Greek, iron; the plants were supposed to have a healing power for wounds caused by iron. Dioscorides also used the name for other plants credited with the same ability). Labiatae. Herbs, subshrubs, or shrubs frequently lanate or softly pilose, mostly hardy or half-hardy but some of them coolhouse plants: lvs. entire or toothed, the floral ones reduced to bracts or similar to the lower cauline: fls. in axillary clusters of 6 to many fls. or in interrupted or dense spikes, small, often yellowish; calyx tubular, 5-10-nerved, with 5 erect somewhat spiny teeth, or rarely muticous; corolla-tube included, bare or with a pilose ring inside, the limb 2-lipped, the posterior somewhat flat, entire, emarginate or 2-cleft, the anterior spreading, 3-cleft; stamens 4, didynamous: nutlets ovoid, smooth, obtuse, not truncate at the top.—About 60 species, Medit. region, Canary Isls., and the Orient. Probably the commonest is S. scordioides, Linn., a hardy subshrub, about 1 ft. high, with ovate, oblong, or oblong-linear, incised-toothed lvs., spikes which are 1-3 in. long of yellowish fls. with the upper lip of the corolla paler or white. S. Eu. Variable. Other species which have been mentioned are: S. canariensis, Linn. A greenhouse shrub several feet high, with ovate, crenate lvs. which are cordate at the base, and subglobose whorls of 20-30 fls. Canary Isls.—S. candicans, Ait. A greenhouse shrub about 3 ft. high, covered with white wool, with ovate lvs. which are truncately cordate at the base, whorls of about 10 sub-sessile fls., the lower ones distant. Madeira and Canary Isls.—S. incana, Linn. A half-hardy subshrub about 1 ft. high, with white-woolly branches, sessile, oblong-linear, obtuse, white-woolly lvs. and distant whorls of about 6 fls. Spain.-S. perfoliata, Linn. A half-hardy subshrub about 1 – 1 1/2 ft. high, with half-clasping, ovate-oblong or lanceolate softly villous lvs. and distant whorls of sessile fls. S. Eu.- S. taurica, Willd., is a half-hardy shrub about 1 1/2 ft. high with thick oblong-lanceolate or spatulate lvs., the lower ones crenulate, densely white-woolly. Caucasus region and Asia Minor. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

S. raeseri is the most common cultivar of Sideritis in Greece and advanced hybrids also exist. Planting is recommended during two periods (October-November or February-March in the Northern hemisphere) and gathering in July, when in full bloom. The plant is typically dried before usage.

Species

• S. scardica
• S. purpurea Talb. - found in western Greece, the Ionian islands and Crete
• S. remota Urv.
• S. scardica Gris. - also known as Olympus tea
• S. theezans Boiss & Heldr - found in Peloponnese
• S. roiseri Boiss & Heldr
• S. euboea Heldr - found in the island of Euboea
• S. syriaca L., S. cretica Boiss, S. boissieri Magn.

Listed in Flora book:

• Sideritis macrostachys

Gallery

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Sideritis. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Sideritis QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)