Santolina
Encyclopedia
Santolina is a genus
of flowering plants in the family
Asteraceae
, native to the Mediterranean region. Between five and 24 species are accepted by different authorities.
The species are small evergreen
shrub
s growing to 10–60 cm tall. The leaves
are simple and minute in some species, or pinnate, finely divided in other species, and often densely silvery hairy. The flower
s are yellow, produced in dense globose capitulae
(flowerheads) 1–2 cm diameter on top of slender stems held 10–25 cm above the foliage.
Santolina species are used as food plants by the larva
e of some Lepidoptera
species including Bucculatrix santolinella
(feeds exclusively on S. chamaecyparissus) and the Coleophora
case-bearers C. albicella (recorded on S. chamaecyparissus), C. involucrella (feeds exclusively on Santolina spp) and C. santolinella (feeds exclusively on S. chamaecyparissus).
Source: E+M, UniProt
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plants in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
, native to the Mediterranean region. Between five and 24 species are accepted by different authorities.
The species are small evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s growing to 10–60 cm tall. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are simple and minute in some species, or pinnate, finely divided in other species, and often densely silvery hairy. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are yellow, produced in dense globose capitulae
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
(flowerheads) 1–2 cm diameter on top of slender stems held 10–25 cm above the foliage.
Santolina species are used as food plants by the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including Bucculatrix santolinella
Bucculatricidae
Bucculatricidae or is a family of moths. This small family has representatives in all parts of the world. Some authors place the group as a subfamily of the family Lyonetiidae....
(feeds exclusively on S. chamaecyparissus) and the Coleophora
Coleophora
Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
case-bearers C. albicella (recorded on S. chamaecyparissus), C. involucrella (feeds exclusively on Santolina spp) and C. santolinella (feeds exclusively on S. chamaecyparissus).
Selected species
- Santolina adscensionis Maire
- Santolina africana Jord. & Fourr.
- Santolina chamaecyparissusSantolina chamaecyparissusCotton Lavender or Gray Santolina is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the western and central Mediterranean region.-Uses:...
L. - Santolina elegans DC.
- Santolina oblongifolia Boiss.
- Santolina rosmarinifoliaSantolina rosmarinifoliaSantolina rosmarinifolia is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.-References:*J. Rodriguez-Oubiña and S. Ortiz . A new subspecies of Santolina rosmarinifolia L. from serpentine soils in Central Galicia , Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 111 Issue 4....
L. - Santolina virens Green santolina
- Santolina viscosa Lag.
Source: E+M, UniProt