Phlomis lychnitis

Sub-shrub of the Lamiaceae family, native to southwestern Europe, mainly found in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France, where it colonizes dry grasslands, open scrublands, roadsides, and rocky hillsides in full light, on poor and well-drained soils, often calcareous or sandy.

Unlike other shrubby Phlomis, it has a distinctly lower and more spreading habit, forming semi-woody clumps 20 to 50 cm in height, with erect stems arising from a persistent woody base. The leaves are narrow, lanceolate to linear, grayish-green on the upper side and whitish tomentose underneath, giving it a characteristic matte and silvery texture.

The bright yellow bilabiate flowers are grouped in well-spaced whorls along the flowering stems, giving a more airy and less dense impression than P. lanata or P. fruticosa. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to July.

It requires a very permeable, dry soil, in a sunny exposure, and tolerates prolonged summer drought well. Its hardiness is generally good for a Mediterranean Phlomis, with available data indicating tolerance to moderate frost, but precise limits remain to be confirmed depending on the provenance.