Teucrium kotschyanum

Τεύκριο το κοτσυανό

Etymology of Teucrium kotschyanum

The Ancient Greek name "Teucrium" [Τεύκριον] was used by Dioscorides for several species in this genus and is assumed to refer to King Teucer [Τεῦκρος] of Troy who used the plant in his medicine; assumed, because there was also another famous Teucer, son of King Telamon of the Island of Salamis, today in Greece. Teucer was a great archer who fought alongside his half-brother, Ajax, in the Trojan War and is the legendary founder of the ancient city of Salamis in Cyprus. It was named "kotschyanum" after Teodor Koczy (1813 – 1866), who discovered it.

The Teucrium genus in Cyprus

At least 10 kinds of Teucrium plants (species and subspecies) have been discovered in the Cypriot habitat so far, of which three of them appear exclusively in occupied Cyprus north.

About Teucrium kotschyanum

Teucrium kotschyanum, commonly known as Kotschy's germander, is a perennial herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae). It is a robust plant that can grow up to 80 cm high, with erect, often purplish, square stems covered in soft white hairs. The leaves are opposite, simple, and lance-shaped with a wrinkled and hairy texture. This species is native to the Eastern Aegean Islands, Cyprus, and western and southern Turkey, thriving in the subtropical biome.

Teucrium kotschyanum in Cyprus

In Cyprus, it is considered indigenous but not endemic and is found in Western Cyprus at altitudes between 550 and 1550 meters. It prefers igneous soil and rocky places, as well as pine forests. The plant is notable for its greenish-yellow flowers which are arranged in long, loose, terminal racemes and bloom from May to July.

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