IDENTIFICATION

It is an herbaceous and evergreen plant, of a woolly look and a light green colour. It has a very developed rhizome (or fake root). The stem is covered with white fur and has a square shape. The leaves are opposite and arranged facing each other on the stem's knots. They are simple (not composed) with a slightly serrated edge. The base leaves are directly attached on the stem, lacking pedicels (little tail) and are up to 4 cm long.  The flowers are grouped in elongated inflorescences of up to 25 flowers. They are zigomorph (they have a single symmetry forme) and of a bluish or purple colour, with darker spots. The fruits are some little nucules (dry fruits which do not spontaneously open, similar to the poppy's ones) of a black colour when ripe.

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

It is an endemic species of the Torcal de Antequera mountains. It is abundant in scrubs damaged by the cattle, between small crags and stony lands, always on calcareous soils and between 600 and 1500 meters above sea level. It is usually accompanied by bowlines and thymes.

HOW DOES IT LIVE?

It is a species with hermaphrodite flowers. The flowering is abundant and occurs between March and June. The pollination stage is aided by insects (entomophil). It produces a lot of fruit, that are passively dispersed in summer or by ants burying the seeds in warm and wet places to help its germination. It also has a very developed vegetative reproduction in winter thanks to the rhizome's buds.

WHERE CAN WE SEE IT IN THE MALAGA PROVINCE?

It appears very locally in the province, always in the mountains of the Central Calcareous Arch (or the Antequera range) and the Malaga North-eastern mountain ranges. In the Great Path (Gran Senda), we can observe it on stages 10 to 11.

CURIOUS FACTS

The Antequera catnip is a threatened and protected species in Andalusia. Its distribution is very limited, it has very little ecological plasticity, requires very specific environmental conditions, suffers from a great livestock production and many degraded inflorescences are noticed.  Forest fires have bad consequences upon this species, favouring more competitive ones.  In its distribution area, there is high tourism pressure implying trampling and inflorescences picking. During the last decades, a decrease of its population has been detected.

SIMILAR SPECIES

It can be confused with sages, lavenders and other labiatae species. To distinguish it, its location must be considered as well as the presence of fur and the smell released by its leaves and flowers, as well as the dark spots on its petals.