PLUMBAGINACEAE Juss.
Family comprised of 24 genera and about 635 species, mostly herbaceous, rarely shrubby or lianescent, distributed almost throughout the planet. In North Africa there are only 4 genera with shrubby species: Limoniastrum, Plumbago, Ceratolimon and Saharanthus, the latter two recently redefined by M.B. Crespo & Lledó (2000). The 2 species that now form the genus Ceratolimon M.B. Crespo & Lledó. are small shrubs that do not usually exceed 0.5 m in height.
C. weygandiorum (Maire & Wilczek) M.B. Crespo & Lledó (L. weygandiorum Maire & Wilczek), with slightly fleshy leaves, obovate, a little lobulate, is endemic to the coastal rocky cliffs of the Draa region.
C. feei M.B. Crespo & Lledó [L. feei (Girard) Batt.], in Arabic “Ouden el-hmar”, has entire lanceolate leaves, fleshier, and it is endemic to the NW continental Sahara.
None of these 2 species seems threatened. Currently, they have not been assessed at a global level on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In the Livre Rouge de la flore vasculaire du Maroc (Fennane, 2021) C. weygandiorum has been considered as Critically Endangered (CR) and C. feei as Near Threatened (NT).
Crespo, M.B. & Lledó, M.D. 2000. Two new North African genera related to Limoniastrum (Plumbaginaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean society, 132: 165-174.
Key to genera
1 Stems striated. Calyx angular, covered with visible glands Plumbago
1 Stalk non-striated. Calyx tubular, not angular, ± scarious but glandulous 2
2 External bract of the spikelets shorter than the inner bract, with white granulationson leaves, staminal filaments inserted at the throat of thecorolla tube Limoniastrum
2 External and internal bracts of the spikelets of the same length, without white granulationson leaves, staminal filaments inserted at the base of the petals 3
3 Leaves alternate, middle bract of the spikelets present Saharanthus
3 Leaves arranged in rosettes, middle bract of the spikelets absent Ceratolimon
Updated by: A.F. Carrillo & J. Charco.
