Israel flowers: Sand chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum viscosum, Heteranthemis viscidehirta,
Sand chrysanthemum, Sticky oxeye, חרצית דביקה

Scientific name:   Chrysanthemum viscosum Desf.
Synonym name:   Heteranthemis viscidehirta Schott
Common name:   Sand chrysanthemum, Sticky oxeye
Hebrew name:   חרצית דביקה
Plant Family:   Compositae / Asteraceae, מורכבים


Life form:   Annual
Stems:   20-80 cm; erect, few-branched above, sticky-glandular
Leaves:   Alternate, entire, dentate or serrate
Flowers:   Yellow ray flowers 13–21; ligule 2–2.5 cm; many yellow disk flowers
Fruits / pods:   Achenes subterete or obovoid, faintly 5-8-ribbed, glabrous
Flowering Period:   March, April, May
Habitat:   Sand
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands
Chorotype:   Mediterranean
Summer shedding:   Ephemeral


Derivation of the botanical name: <

Chrysanthemum (Plinius), Greek chrysos “gold” and anthemon “flower,” referring to the color of the capitula.

viscosum, sticky, clammy.
Heteranthemis, heteros, ετεροϛ the other, another kind, different; anthemis, chamomile; different Anthemis.
viscidehirta, viscos, “sticky;” hirta, “rough, hairy.”
The hebrew name Charzit, חרצית, from Charutz, חרוץ [Ugaritic cheritz; Canaanite: cheritz; Arabic: churtz (gold earring); charutz is the source of the Greek chrysos (Χρύσος/khrysos): also meaning gold.

  • The standard author abbreviation Desf. is used to indicate René Louiche Desfontaines (1750 – 1833), a French botanist.
  • The standard author abbreviation Schott is used to indicate RHeinrich Wilhelm Schott (1794 – 1865), an Austrian botanist.