Montpellier coris
Coris monspeliensis
Family · Primulaceae · Harmless
The low plant with needle leaves and unequal lilac flowers, looking like a small pine covered in bloom. It is a primrose relative, not a mint, despite appearances: a primula in scrub disguise.
Where it grows
Scrubland · Walls and rocks · Dunes and sand · Uplands
Also known asblue coris
In flower
How to tell it
Very narrow fleshy leaves packed in a spiral along the stem, like a little pine. Lilac or pink flowers in a dense terminal spike, with petals of different sizes and a spiny calyx.
What it is confused with
No dangerous lookalikes known in the Iberian Peninsula.
What it is for
No relevant use. It counts as a botanical surprise: almost everyone misplaces it at first sight.