Santolina is a genus of plants in the chamomile tribe within the sunflower family, primarily from the western Mediterranean region.Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 2: 842–843 in LatinTropicos, Santolina L.
They are small evergreen shrubs growing tall. The leaves are simple and minute in some species, or pinnate, finely divided in other species, often densely silvery hairy, and usually aromatic. The composite flowerheads are yellow or white, produced in dense globose capitula 1–2 cm in diameter, on top of slender stems held above the foliage. There are no ray florets.
Santolina species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Bucculatrix santolinella (feeds exclusively on S. chamaecyparissus) and the Coleophora case-bearers C. albicella (recorded on S. chamaecyparissus), C. involucrella (feeds exclusively on Santolina spp) and C. santolinella (feeds exclusively on S. chamaecyparissus).
Species Sources:Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Santolina includes photos + distribution maps Santolina africana Jord. & Fourr. - Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia Santolina benthamiana Jord. & Fourr. - France, Spain Santolina canescens Lag. – Spain Santolina chamaecyparissus L. – from Spain to Ireland + Turkey Santolina corsica Jord. & Fourr. – Corsica Santolina decumbens Mill. – France, Spain Santolina ericoides Poir. – France, Spain Santolina impressa Hoffmanns. & Link – Portugal Santolina magonica (O.Bolòs, Molin. & P.Monts.) Romo – Balearic Islands, Spain Santolina melidensis (Rodr.Oubiña & S.Ortiz) Rodr.Oubiña & S.Ortiz – Spain Santolina neapolitana Jord. & Fourr. – Campania, Italy Santolina oblongifolia Boiss. – Spain Santolina pectinata Lag. – Algeria, Morocco, Spain Santolina pinnata Viv. – Tuscany, Italy Santolina rosmarinifolia L. – south western Europe Santolina semidentata Hoffmanns. & Link – Spain, Portugal Santolina tinctoria Molina – Chile Santolina villosa Mill. – Spain Santolina virens Mill. – France, Spain, UK, Germany, Abruzzo (Italy), Ukraine
formerly included numerous species formerly regarded as members of Santolina but now judged better suited to other genera: Achillea, Athanasia, Anthemis, Calea, Cladanthus, Helenium, Isocarpha, Lasiospermum, Lonas, Matricaria, Oedera, Porophyllum, Salmea, and Tanacetum.
References
External links
Flora Europaea: Santolina