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Nigella arvensis subsp. aristata
It is a small plant, about 10 cm high, which goes unnoticed even during the flowering period, since the flowers are small - up to 2 cm - and whitish. But the pollinators seem to find it easily, since the structure and decoration of the ornate flower is like a target for the sport of shooting and like a dress with ruffles and lace, in several layers. The species is hermaphrodite and female and male organs are shown in pics 1&4, respectively.
Found in typical xeric Mediterranean phrygana (pic.6)
Nigella arvensis subsp. aristata is a range-restricted, endemic plant of Greece, absent in North-East Greece and North Aegean islands, Crete and Cyclades.
Spotted on May 16, 2018
Submitted on May 25, 2018
11 Comments
Thank you Leuba (I like the sound of your name).
Beautiful flower and lovely shots !
Thanks Mark and Maria. Thank you AshleyT for the nomination!
Beautiful series of photos illustrating different aspects of the plant. The first photo looks like an octopus to me!
What an incredible looking flower.
Great spotting Tania.
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
Thanks Janine.
Gorgeous
Thank you Neil.
Amazing spotting. Excellent series too, Tania. Thx for sharing.
Orange creatures are probably a Balaustium sp. that eat pollen but if they find some harmful insect do not say no!