Pyrenean germander
Teucrium pyrenaicum
Family · Lamiaceae · Irritating
The creeping mint relative of northern mountains, forming round mats of hairy leaves and crowns of white and purple flowers packed tight, almost lying on the ground.
Uplands · Scrubland
Also known asPyrenean teucrium
How to tell it
A creeping hairy plant forming circular cushions. Opposite, round leaves with a wavy scalloped margin, covered in hair. The flowers gather in a flat dense head atop short stems, the lower lip cream white and the side lobes lilac or purple. Mountains only. Range: mainly a Spanish plant, practically absent from Portugal.
What it is confused with
No dangerous lookalikes known in the Iberian Peninsula.
What it is for
No use to recommend. The family warning applies: several Teucrium species were used in infusions and slimming teas and are hepatotoxic, with documented cases of severe hepatitis. The family smells good and that says nothing about safety.