Fumana fontanesii Clauson ex Pomel
Pomelina fontanesii (Pomel) Güemes & Raynaud, F. calycina (Dunal) Clauson ex Ball
Shrub up to 1(1.5) m in height. Stems erect, slender, almost arundinaceous, densely covered with whitish hairs, giving the whole plant a general greyish-light appearance; young branchlets green-purple. Leaves (0.8-1 × 0.2-0.3 cm) promptly deciduous, only persistent on the younger stems, narrowly ovate, with somewhat revolute margin, attenuated at the base, erect-patent, glabrescent and from glaucous to greyish on both sides. Flowers solitary extra-axillary, usually scattered only on the stems of the current year, with reddish and relatively long pedicel (1.2-1.5 cm), persistent. Calyx glabrous, reddish, with 5 sepals, unequal; outer 2 sepals linear, 1-veined; inner 3 sepals wider (ovate-lanceolate) and with 4-5 clearly marked veins. Corolla with yellow petals 13-15 mm, very promptly caducous. Stamens numerous; outer stamens reduced to the filament, and therefore sterile. Fruit an ovoid capsule about 8 mm, dehiscent in 3 valves. Seeds 6-10. 2n = 32
Flowering:
March to April.
Fruiting:
May to June.
Habitat:
Clearings and edges of forests, thickets, etc., on generally calcareous soils. It is a relatively thermophilic plant, therefore it does not grow at high altitudes (500-800 m). From dry to subhumid, relatively warm bioclimate.
Distribution:
Western Mediterranean. In North Africa, it is a rare but widely distributed species in the Mediterranean area of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Traditionally considered a North African endemic, but there are 2 small relict populations in the S of Spain, in Sierra Espuña (Murcia) and in the Subbetica in Cordoba.
Observations:
There are still another 10 species of this genus in North Africa, some endemic. These are usually chamaephytes with ± woody stems but barely exceeding 0.5 m in height.
Conservation status:
A fairly rare species, but widely distributed. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In the Livre Rouge de la flore vasculaire du Maroc (Fennane, 2021) it has been considered as Least Concern (LC).
