Israel wildflowers: Strong-Smelling Inula

Dittrichia viscosa, Inula viscosa, Strong-Smelling Inula,
Hebrew: טיון דביק, Arabic: طيون

Scientific name:   Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter
Synonym name:   Inula viscosa (L.) Aiton
Common name:   False yellowhead, Strong-Smelling Inula
Hebrew name:   טיון דביק
Arabic name:   طيون
Plant Family:   Compositae / Asteraceae, מורכבים


Life form:   Chamaephyte
Stems:   Erect, highly branched, glandular hairs
Leaves:   Alternate, sessile, entire, lanceolate, serrate
Flowers:   Yellow; ray petals around disc florets
Fruits / pods:   40-50 achenes per flowerhead; light brown achene with a beige pappus
Flowering Period:   July, August, September, October, November, December
Habitat:   Riparian
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:   Mediterranean
Summer shedding:   Perennating


Derivation of the botanical name:

Dittrichia, named for the German botanist Manfred Dittrich (1934- ).

viscosa, sticky, clammy; referring mainly to the sticky exudate from the glandular hairs.
inula, from Helen of Troy, being fabled to have sprung up from the ground where her tears were supposed to have fallen.

  • The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
  • The standard author abbreviation Greuter is used to indicate Werner Rodolfo Greuter (born 1938), a Swiss national, and prominent botanist.
  • The standard author abbreviation Aiton is used to indicate William Aiton (1731 – 1793), a Scottish botanist.