Flowers in Israel: European Leadwort

Plumbago europaea, European Leadwort,
Hebrew: עופרית אירופית, Arabic: الرصاصية الأوروبية

Scientific name:   Plumbago europaea L.
Common name:   European Leadwort
Hebrew name:   עופרית אירופית
Arabic name:   الرصاصية الأوروبية
Family:   Plumbaginaceae, עפריתיים

Life form:   Hemicryptophyte
Leaves:   Alternate, entire
Flowers:   Pink, violet
Flowering Period:   June, July, August, September, October, November
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Deserts and extreme deserts, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:   Med – Irano-Turanian
Summer shedding:   Perennating


Derivation of the botanical name:

Plumbago, Latin, plumbum, lead; agere, to resemble; Pliny suggested it was cure for lead poisoning which was a scourge in Roman cities. In France the root is steeped in olive oil by country folk and used to combat dental abscesses; hence the common name Dentallaria.

europaea, European.
The Hebrew name: עופרית, ofrit, from עופרת, oferet, lead, related to Akkadian: abdru (name of a metal, possibly lead or magnesium).

  • The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.