Nomenclature

Species name:

Chiliadenus bocconei   Brullo

Author(s):

Salvatore Brullo;
   Italy, 1947-

General names:

Maltese Fleabane, Pointed-leaved Jasonia

Maltese name:

Tulliera ta' Malta

Plant Family:

Asteraceae/ Compositae   (Daisy (Sunflower) Family)

Name Derivation:

Chiliadenus = Unknown derivation. It is a genus formed by Cassini which now groups 12 species
bocconei = Named after Paolo Boccone (1633-1703), an Italian monk and physician (Latin).

Synonyms:

Jasonia glutinosa

Remarks:

Endemic. -

Botanical Data

Plant Description

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Habitat:

Rocky or stony ground, Cliffs, Garigues, and sometimes walls. Prefers arid places and somewhat coastal zones.

Frequency:

Frequent

Sources in Malta:

Quite common in several garigues and upper valley sides in Malta and Gozo such as at Dingli, Siggiewi, Mellieha, Wied Babu (Zurrieq), Imtahleb, Bahrija and Wied il-Ghasel (Mosta).

Plant Height:

20-40cm.

Flowering Time:

Aug - Oct

Poison:

Not Poisonous

This herbaceous plant is seen in arid, rocky habitats, in the middle or late Summer as a small bush. The plant consist of numerous branches radiating away from a common multi-branching main stem at ground level. These individual branches do not branch again except at the upper part for the formation of flowering stems. The stem is woody or reddish brown, snaps easily, and covered with short fine hair.

Leaves are found mostly along the sub-branches which gradually die and fall from the lower part towards the top. The alternate, sessile leaves are oblanceolate, covered with very short glandular hair and have an entire outline. There is one large leaf at the stem (15-25mm long) and from its axil a cluster of 6-10 alternately arranged leaves grows up. These leaves are much smaller (10mm or less) but similar shape to the main one.

At the top of each branch there is the flowering part, which consists of few flowers (4-12) arranged as a corymb (or sometimes cymose panicles) where the apical bud flowers first, and subsequent lower buds develop next. The corymb inflorescence is not flat topped, but on the other hand they are not distant from each other either.

Each flower basically consists of a group of yellow, rayless disc florets enclosed in a green cylindrical involucre. Their is about 50-80 disc florets closely packed to each other, where the ones at the periphery open first, and flowering moves progressively to the centre. The floret produce a long style, which protrudes out by 5-6mm from the tiny, star-shaped petalled tube. There are 5 fused stamens around the long style which subdives into 2 curly stigma at its apex.

The involucre is made up from numerous long phyllaries (about 25-40) which their pointed tip is bent out. They are not spiny and completely green. During the flower phase, these phyllaries remain upright and tight together forming a barrel shaped involucre, but at the fruiting phase, they become loose and subtends slightly outwards.

The fruit actually consists of a collection of single achenes (each developed from a disc floret) which are grouped together on a common receptacle. The achene consists of a linear seed, 3mm long and greyish brown in colour, with a pappus on top. The pappus, which helps in seed dispersal by wind, is un-beaked, simple (unbranched) and have a beige to straw colour. The seed possess fine hairs mostly at its lower part.

The plant is visited by many bees and wasps, and the leaves emit a strong, pleasant aromatic scent, similar to incense.

Additional Information

Nativity and Distribution

Chiliadenus bocconei is described as one of the 24 endemic plants in Malta.   [WWW-97] This endemic plant amongst other endemics are relics from the pre-glacial Mediterranean flora (these are called palaeoendemics) and have no close relatives anywhere else in the world.   [WWW-98] A similar species (Chiliadenus lopadusanos) is also found in Lampeduse, also described as an endemic for this Mediterranean island.   [WWW-99]

Use as a herbal tea

This plant (or as mentioned in the original context by its synonym name - Jasonia glutinosa) is used extensively in Spain precisely in the territories of the old Crown of Aragón to make a herbal tea known as the Aragon Tea or Rock Tea. It is described to have a pleasant alcanforado aroma, with a little bitter flavour. The parts used are the flowering parts of the branches.   [WWW-95]

The preparation is done as follows: Make an infusion of the plant using 20 to 40 grs in 1 liter of water. Up to 5 cups per day can be taken after the meals.   [WWW-95]

Properties and indications:

Its composition is not well well-known, although it is known that it contains neither theine nor caffein. It has an essence that grant digestive properties, as well as abundant tannins that justify their use like anti-diarretic.   [WWW-95]

Medicinal Properties

Digestive problems: Popularly it is used in cases of shyness, slow and heavy, diarreas indigestion, digestions and intestinal fermentations or rottings.   [WWW-95] It is also described as Stomachic   [WWW-66]

Nervous problems: It also shows an tonifying action, free of irritant effects on the nervous system, as it happens with the coffee or common tea.   [WWW-95]

Pharmacology - in vitro anti-inflammatory activity

Sesquiterpenes from Jasonia glutinosa: in vitro anti-inflammatory activity

Four sesquiterpenes isolated from Jasonia glutinosa (Asteraceae), namely lucinone, glutinone, 5-epi-kutdtriol and kutdtriol, have been evaluated for their in vitro anti-inflammatory activity in cellular systems generating cyclooxygenase (COX) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) metabolites. None of the compounds assayed had a significant effect on leukotriene C4 (LTC4)-release from calcium ionophore-stimulated mouse peritoneal cells. However, the release of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) by mouse peritoneal cells stimulated with calcium ionophore was inhibited by these compounds, although with less potency than the reference drug indomethacin (IC50=0.24 microM). The IC50 values of the active compounds were: lucinone 42.69 microM, glutinone 3.61 microM, 5-epi-kutdtriol 1.28 microM and kutdtriol 39 microM. Of the tested compounds, only glutinone (IC50=24 microM) showed a significant effect on thromboxane B2 (TXB2)-release induced by calcium ionophore in human platelets, although with less potency than the reference drug ibuprofen (IC50=1.27 microM).   [333]

Pharmacology - Terpenes with leishmanicidal acitivity

Two species belonging to the Asteraceae family that contain terpenes with leishmanicidal activity are Vernonia brachycalyx and Jasonia glutinosa. The major antiprotozoal metabolite of V. brachycalyx has been identified as the sesquiterpene dilactone 16,17-dihydrobrachycalyoxide, which shows activity (IC50 17 μg ml1) against the promastigote forms of L. major. However, at this same concentration, inhibits the proliferation of human lymphocytes, suggesting that its antiprotozoal activity is due to its general toxicity and that its administration could suppress the immune mechanism in humans.62 On the other hand, kudtriol, a sesquiterpene alcohol obtained from the aerial parts of J. glutinosa, has shown toxic activity against promastigotes of L. donovani at a concentration of 250 μg ml1, and it is proposed that the presence of a C-5 hydroxy group in the α orientation is essential for the expression of its leishmanicidal activity.   [334] (Read the full document found in the links section of this page)

Personal Observations

Maltese coin
The 50 cents Maltese coin depicts this plant on one of its sides.   [SM]

Common insect visitors of this plant
During my photography session on this plant, I frequently noticed a black and white striped wasp feeding on the nectar of the flower. One could easily see about 2 or 3 wasps hovering or feeding on a medium sized plant. Once they are on a flower, they spend at least one minute upon until they hover to the next.   [SM]

Photo Gallery

Photo of the yellow, rayless (no petals) flower.

Sideview photo of flower and a small bud.

Sideview photo of flower showing well the green involucre which holds the flower. The involucre is made up by many thin and long phyllaries each having the tip bend outwards.

This close-up photo shows clearly that the flower is composed of numerous tiny, yellow disc-florets packed side by side. From each floret protrudes out the long style which splits into 2 curly stigma at the apex.

Photo of young flower. It is known to be young because the open disc-florets are found only at the periphery of the flower, with the immature central florets still present as shorter buds (no style protruding out).

Close up photo of flower showing the developed florets at the border of the flower. Florets at the border open first and this progress gradually towards the center.

Photo of flower showing the long styles of the florets with the stigma tips splitting in two curly parts.

Close up photo of the flower showing detail of the disc florets. Each floret is a tubular structure with a star shaped opening (the 'petals'). From each disc floret protrudes out the long style. Around the middle-lower part of each style there are the 5 stamens fused together as a single unit and seen as a broader part of the style.

Photo of a flower bud.

Photo of inflorescences, described as a corymb or sometimes cymose panicles.

Scanned image of part of a branch. Sessile leaves at most of the branch length and flowers at the upper part.

Scanned image of flowering part showing a bud at the right, an old flower (fruiting phase) and a developed flower at the left.

Scanned and annotated image of a flower.

Scanned and magnified image of a flower (side view).

Scanned and magnified image of flower (top view) showing detail of the disc florets and floret buds towards the center.

Scanned image of a laterally dissected flower showing disk-florets sitting on the receptacle.

Scanned image of individual florets.

A reddish brown bee on a flower. It seams to be either a type of megachilid bee (eg: Osmia kohli) or a digger bee (eg:Tetralonia berlandi ).

A black and white striped wasp-like bee with thick black anthers that seems to like the nectar of this flower. It appears to be the Yellow halictid bee (Halictus fulvipes).

These bees are common visitors of the Maltese fleabane.

nother photo of the yellow halicted bee showing well the 6 black and white stripes on the abdomen. Confusing name, because it this bee has no yellow!

Sideview photo of Halictus fulvipes feeding on the nectar of the Maltese fleabane flower.

Photo of one branch of the plant showing the arrangement and shape of leaves. These are fleshy (thick), oblanceolate shaped and have numerous glandular white hair.

Scanned image of part of the stem showing detail of the alternately arranged leaves. There is one main leaf from which a group of 6-8 smaller leaves grow up from the leaf axil. All leaves are sessile.

Magnified, scanned image of 4 dissected leaves. Their shape is more or less oblanceolate (inverted lanceolate) and have an entire outline. They also have very short, white hair, which probably helps to maintain water moisture around the leaves, and so decrease water loss. This plant grows in the hottest and driest months.

Photo of plant showing that it consists of many radiating leaf/flower branches from a common main stem at ground level.

Photo of the lower part of stems, coming out from a woody main stem located at ground level.

Photo of a large plant, about 35-40cm in height.

Photo of shrub-like plant.

Photo of plant on rocky ground near the sea coast.

A small plant from a tiny creek in the rock. The plant grows well in such arid habitat.

Photo of the flowering branches from a plant situated at dingli Cliffs.

Photo of plant facing the sea.

Photo of the flowering parts of the plant.

Photo showing habitat of plant - gaps, soil patches and cracks in rocky ground and arid environment.

Photo showing habitat of plant.

Photo showing habitat of plant - tiny soil gaps or pockets in the solid rock.

Photo showing habitat of plant - cliff sides.

Photo of fruit. The involucre, (which before had a cylindrical shape at the flower phase) spreads out perpendicularly to expose the numerous achenes (seeds) to the wind for dispersal. The black top are remnants of dried disc florets. Seeds can be seen at the basal part.

Close up photo of fruit showing in detail the achenes which each consist of a brown seed and a straw-coloured / beige bristly pappus. Fruit/seeds forms during the windy weeks of end of August / September.

Scanned image of fruit showing the spread-out phyllaries of the involucre, the flat receptacle, and detail of the numerous achenes sitting on the receptacle.

Scanned and magnified image of typical seeds. They have a pappus that helps dispersal of seeds by wind during the rather windy month of September. Straw-coloured Pappus is un-beaked and un-branched. Seeds have minute hair.

A 50 cents Maltese coin depicting this endemic plant on one of its side.

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