Teucrium balfourii

Teucrium balfourii
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Genus:	Teucrium
Species:	T. balfourii
Binomial name
Teucrium balfourii Vierh.
Synonyms
Teucrium prostratum Balf.f.

Teucrium balfourii is a perennial subshrub in the family Lamiaceae, native only to the islands of Socotra and Samhah in the Socotra Archipelago of Yemen. ^{[2] [1]}

It was formally described in 1907 by the Austrian botanist Friedrich Karl Max Vierhapper, based on material collected by Isaac Bayley Balfour in the late 19th century. The species is named in the latter′s honor.

Description

This is a low, prostrate to spreading subshrub forming dense mats on rocky ground. Leaves are opposite and simple. Flowers are bilabiate with four nutlets per fruit, though detailed species-level floral characters are poorly documented.

Identification

Teucrium balfourii differs from the only other member of the genus present in the archipelago, Teucrium socotranum , in being ground-hugging and having succulent-looking leaves.

Distribution and habitat

The species is restricted to the islands of Socotra and Samhah in the Socotra Archipelago. It grows mainly on rocky slopes and plateaus at mid elevations, particularly on limestone substrates in arid and semi-arid shrubland.

Conservation

The species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Although its range is geographically restricted, it is locally common and occurs across multiple sites within the archipelago, much of which is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ^[1]

References

1. Miller, A. (2004). "Teucrium balfourii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2004 e.T44971A10968879. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T44971A10968879.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
2. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families

External links

• Data related to Teucrium balfourii at Wikispecies