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Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

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View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of a rickety jetty in Lefokastron, Pelion, taken by Huw Jones.

Loading image. Please wait Golden Drop (Onosma frutescens) :: 2002/03/17 :: Hondri Ammos :: © A.Papadopoulos Golden Drop (Onosma frutescens) :: 2002/03/17 :: Hondri Ammos :: © A.Papadopoulos No image! No image! No image!

Golden Drop

Onosma frutescens

A slender-branched, spreading, bushy  perennial, with a woody stock, O. frutescens can reach a height of up to 25 cm (10 in). Leaves are linear to oblong, numerous, with dense gray hair.

Flowers are hermaphrodite, that is they have both male and female organs, and are pollinated by insects. They are yellow, tinged with dark red, between 16 - 21 mm (3/5 - 4/5 in) long, hairless, about 1.5 times as long as the  calyx, with protruding  anthers.

According to "Plants for a Future", this plant has no edible or medicinal properties, however a red dye can be obtained from the root, hence the plant can be used as a substitute for the  Dyer's Alkanet.

The specimen shown here was photographed in Hondri Ammos (Coarse Sand), Pelion. It was growing on sandy soil, a few meters from the surf.

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Fact Sheet

Type of plant
Slender-branched, spreading, bushy perennial.

Flowering Season
Mid March - June

Known Hazards
The bristly stems and leaves may cause skin irritation.

Known Uses
A red dye can be obtained from the root. "Plants for a Future" rate this plant 0 out of 5 for edibility and 0 out of 5 for medicinal use (min. 0, max. 5).

Habitat
Rocks, cliffs and old walls.

Distribution
Central and Southern Greece, incl. the Aegean Islands, Turkey to Palestine.


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Taxonomy


Kingdom: Plantae (Plants); Subkingdom: Tracheobionta (Vascular plants); Superdivision: Spermatophyta (Seed plants); Division Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants); Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons); Subclass: Asteridae; Order: Lamiales; Family: Boraginaceae (Borage family); Genus: Onosma; Species: frutescens

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Acknowledgments

Information on the plant's edible and medicinal uses was obtained from "Plants for a Future".

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