Teucrium fruticans | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Lamiaceae |
Genus: | Teucrium |
Species: | T. fruticans
|
Binomial name | |
Teucrium fruticans |
Teucrium fruticans (common name tree germander[2] or shrubby germander)[3] is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to the western and central Mediterranean. Growing to 1 m (3 ft) tall by 4 m (13 ft) wide, it is a spreading evergreen shrub with arching velvety white shoots, glossy aromatic leaves and pale blue flowers in summer.
The Latin specific epithet fruticans means "shrubby" or "bushy".[4]
The cultivar 'Azureum', with darker blue flowers, has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[5][6] It is hardy in milder areas, where temperatures do not fall below −5 °C (23 °F). It prefers the shelter of a wall, in full sun with neutral or alkaline soil.[5]