Λειμώνιο του Μέγιερ
Etymology of Limonium meyeri
The name "Limonium" originates from the Ancient Greek word "λειμώνιον" [limonion], which derives from the word "λειμώνιος" [limonios], meaning "of the harbour", referring to the coastal areas that many of the genus's species grow. Its epithet, "meyeri" is a tribute to Carl Anton von Meyer (1795-1855), German-Russian botanist and plant collector, and director of the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden.
Limoniums in Cyprus
There are ten Limonium species in Cyprus and one cross-species. The majority of them can be found in South-Eastern Cyprus, in the Paralimni region (Ammochostos district). At least two of them are endangered.
Limonium meyeri in Cyprus
Limonium meyeri is a perennial that in Cyprus usually appears as 40–80 cm tall, glabrous throughout except for the calyxes. It can be considered a common plant in Cyprus. Its taproot is stout. The leaves are all radical, fairly numerous, pale green or glaucous-green, subovate to rather broadly elliptic or oblong-obovate, (5) 8–30 (40) cm long and (3) 5–8 (12) cm broad, obtuse, round-tipped or more or less pointed. The sterile branches are absent or few or rarely fairly numerous (compared to other Limoniums). It appears at around 0-5 meters altitude in southern, southeastern and central-northern Cyprus. Its flowering period is between June and October.
Limonium meyeri primarily grows in salty habitats. The specimens of the pictures were photographed in Akrotiri, near the salt lake (Lemesos district), and at Nisi island, at Nissi beach, Agia Napa (Ammochostos district).
How to identify Limonium meyeri
Compared to the other Limoniums that can be found in Cyprus, Limonium meyeri has a distinctive characteristic, which is its large leaves; they are distinctly nerved, usually 8-30 cm long, with the apex rounded, obtuse or emarginate. Of all the Limoniums in Cyprus, Limonium meyeri's leaves could be the widest ones, usually 5-8 cm broad, as seen in the pictures.
