Flora of Israel: Nonea philistaea

Nonea philistaea, Philistine Monkswort,
Hebrew: נוניאה פלשתית

Scientific name:   Nonea philistaea Boiss.
Common name:   Philistine Monkswort
Hebrew name:   נוניאה פלשתית
Plant Family:   Boraginaceae, זיפניים


Location: Road 3415, Gad Hill
Life form:   Annual
Stems:   Hispid herbs
Leaves:   Alternate, entire, smooth
Inflorescence:   Flowers in bracteate, terminal cymes
Flowers:   Terminal racemes of cream, white flowers; corolla funnel-shaped
Fruits / Pods:   Nuts 4, 1-celled, turbinate, concave, perforated at base, fixed to the bottom of the calyx
Flowering Period:   March, April
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:   Mediterranean
Summer shedding:   Ephemeral


Location: Road 3415, Gad Hill

Derivation of the botanical name:

Nonea, for Johann Philipp. None (1729–72), botanical writer, and Professor of Medicine from Erfurt, Germany

philistaea, Pheleseth / Pleshet – Philistine, Hebrew: פְּלֶשֶׁת
The Hebrew name: נוניאה, nonea, transliteration from the scientific name.

  • The standard author abbreviation Boiss. is used to indicate Pierre Edmond Boissier (1810 – 1885), a Swiss botanist, explorer and mathematician.



Location: Road 3415, Gad Hill

Location: Road 3415, Gad Hill