Pseudodictamnus mediterraneus

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Lamiales

Familia: Lamiaceae
Subfamilia: Lamioideae
Tribus: Marrubieae
Genus: Pseudodictamnus
Species: Pseudodictamnus mediterraneus
Subspecies: P. m. subsp. mediterraneus
Subspecies named as Ballota, without combination in Pseudodictamnus: Ballota. pseudodictamnus. subsp. lycia
Name

Pseudodictamnus mediterraneus Salmaki & Siadati, Taxon 67: 779. 2018, nom. nov..
Synonyms

Replaced synonym
Marrubium pseudodictamnus L., Sp. Pl. 2: 583. 1753.
Type locality: “Habitat in Creta.”
Lectotype: : Herb. Burser XXII: 133 (UPS) (designated by Turland in Jarvis & al. in Taxon 50: 512. 2001)

Homotypic
Ballota pseudodictamnus (L.) Benth., Labiat. Gen. Spec. 594. 1834.
Beringeria pseudodictamnus (L.) Neck., Elem. Bot. 1: 312. 1790. nom. inval., opus utiq. oppr.
Marrubium pallidum Salisb., Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton 84. 1796. nom. superfl.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Europe
Regional: Southeastern Europe
Greece, Italy (naturalized), Kriti, Sicilia (naturalized)
Continental: Africa
Regional: Northern Africa
Egypt, Libya
Continental: Asia-Temperate
Regional: Western Asia
Turkey

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Siadati, S., Salmaki, Y., Mehrvarz, S.S., Heubl, G. & Weigend, M. 2018. Untangling the generic boundaries in tribe Marrubieae (Lamiaceae: Lamioideae) using nuclear and plastid DNA sequences. Taxon 67(4): 770–783. DOI: 10.12705/674.6 ResearchGate Reference page.
Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus II: 583. Reference page.

Additional references

Jarvis, C.E., Cafferty, S. & Forrest, L.L. (eds.) 2001. Typification of Linnaean plant names in Lamiaceae (Labiatae). Taxon 50(2): 507–523. DOI: 10.2307/1223898 JSTOR Reference page.

Links

USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Pseudodictamnus mediterraneus in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 4 Sept 2016.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Pseudodictamnus mediterraneus in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2019 May 1. Reference page.

Pseudodictamnus mediterraneus, the false dittany,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae.[2] It is native to the southern Aegean region.

Taxonomy

Several common names are attached to this plant, including false dittany, false divinity, and Greek horehound.[3]
Etymology

The Latin specific epithet pseudodictamnus means "false dittany".[4] In this case, the resemblance is to the classical dittany of Crete, Origanum dictamnus, not to the much more distantly related genus Dictamnus in the family Rutaceae.
Description
Flowering plant: Small pink and white flowers

A low mound-forming evergreen shrub growing to 50 centimetres (20 in) tall and wide, it bears almost circular, dished, silver-green leaves with a soft felted texture; and masses of pink flowers (which are mostly hidden by the leaves) in late spring and early summer.[5]

It tolerates temperatures as low as −10 °C (14 °F), but requires very dry conditions and sharp drainage in full sun.
Distribution

Pseudodictamnus mediterraneus is native to dry Mediterranean regions in Europe and western Asia,[6] including Greece (South Aegean), Egypt, Libya and Turkey. It is also an introduced species in the British Isles and Italy (Sicily).
In horticulture

In cultivation in the UK, this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[1]
References

"RHS Plantfinder - Ballota pseudodictamnus". Royal Horticultural Society. 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
"Pseudodictamnus mediterraneus Salmaki & Siadati | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
"Ballota pseudodictamnus (BLLPS)[Overview]| EPPO Global Database". gd.eppo.int. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 184533731X.
"Ballota pseudodictamnus". perennials.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
Springer., Ogden, Lauren (2000). Passionate gardening : good advice for challenging climates. Proctor, Rob. Golden, Colo.: Fulcrum Pub. ISBN 1555913482. OCLC 42580378.