C. graecum
         H. cyclophyllus
         Delphinium sp.
         M. sylvestris
         Althaea sp.
         C. incanus
         C. salviifolius
         E. hispanica
         Viola sp.
         E. elaterium

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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 Spanish Mustard (Erucaria hispanica) :: 2002/03/17 :: Hondri Ammos :: © A.Papadopoulos Spanish Mustard (Erucaria hispanica) :: 2002/03/17 :: Hondri Ammos :: © A.Papadopoulos No image! No image! No image!

Spanish Mustard

Erucaria hispanica

This is a really controversial plant, in that it is known by several scientific names. It is a short to medium, hairless annual, to about 40 cm (15 3/4 in) tall.

Its flowers are mauve or pale purple, rarely white, 12 - 17 mm (1/2 - 2/3 in), borne in congested racemes, which elongate in fruit. Petals are 10 - 15 mm (2/5 - 3/5 in) long.

It can be found growing on cultivated and waste ground, occasionally on sandy ground, close to the sea. Leaves and young shoots may be edible, raw or cooked, but I haven't been able to verify this information.

The plant shown here was photographed in Hondri Ammos (Coarse Sand), Pelion. It was protruding from some large pebbles, a few feet from the surf.

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Fact Sheet

Type of plant
Short to medium annual herb

Flowering Season
January - June

Known Hazards
Not known

Known Uses
Very limited use; leaves and young shoots may be edible, raw or cooked. "Plants for a Future" rate it 2 out of 5 for edibility and 0 out of 5 for medicinal uses (min. 0, max. 5).

Habitat
Cultivated and waste ground, occasionally on sandy ground, close to the sea

Distribution
Eastern Mediterranean and northern Africa, from Greece eastwards


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Taxonomy


Kingdom: Plantae (Plants); Subkingdom: Tracheobionta (Vascular plants); Superdivision: Spermatophyta (Seed plants); Division Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants); Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons); Subclass: Dilleniidae; Order: Capparales; Family: Cruciferae (Cress family); Genus: Erucaria; Species: hispanica

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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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