Teucrium capitatum

Perennial and woody at the base subspecies, from the Lamiaceae family, distributed throughout the western Mediterranean basin, from the Iberian Peninsula to the North African coasts. The photos were taken on the Spanish coast, where the plant colonizes sandy dunes and open garrigues on sandy or sandy-stony soil, alongside other Mediterranean chamaephytes.

It forms a rounded and very branched bush, 20 to 40 cm in height, with gray-silver tomentose foliage, slightly less dense than the type subspecies. The leaves are narrow, with crenate and rolled edges, evergreen.

The pure white to cream-white flowers are gathered in globular and compact capitula, numerous, which literally cover the bush at the time of flowering and give it a mossy and luminous appearance, particularly striking in the open and dry environments where the plant is found.

In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to July depending on exposure and latitude.

It requires full sun and very well-drained, sandy or stony soil, dry in summer. Its hardiness is limited under cold and wet winters; it is suitable for Mediterranean gardens, dry rock gardens, and containers in regions with mild winters.