The Sun of Limestone Cliffs

Habit: Perennial herbaceous plant 20–30 cm tall. Stem: Woody in texture, usually unbranched and covered with whitish hairiness. Leaves: Alternate with entire margin. The basal leaves are linear-spatulate, 5–10 cm long, widest near the apex; they show pinnate venation and a soft texture. The cauline leaves are sessile, lanceolate, and narrowed at the base without clasping the stem. Flowers: Gathered in showy capitula, 3.5–4.5 cm in diameter, borne singly or in small numbers on slender peduncles. The flowers are entirely golden yellow. The peripheral flowers are ligulate, about 18 mm long, arranged radially and clearly longer than the involucre below. The central flowers are hermaphroditic and tubular. Fruits: A pubescent achene, provided with a pappus of hairs for wind dispersal, lacking the apical crown characteristic of other similar genera. Flowering: May–August.

Chorological type: Montane Mediterranean. Distribution in Italy: Present in much of the Italian territory, on peninsular mountain chains and major uplands. Habitat: It grows mainly on calcareous slopes and xeric grasslands, between 200 and 2000 m a.s.l.

Generic name (Pentanema): A name derived from Greek meaning “with five threads.” It refers to the pappus structure of some species segregated from the genus Inula, which show a reduced number of hairs originally described as five. Specific name (montanum): A Latin term indicating the plant’s preferred habitat, namely mountainous areas.

Mountain fleabane is an officinal species highly regarded in folk medicine. It is credited with anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, analgesic, depurative, and antihistamine properties. It is particularly well known in France, where rural populations traditionally use it as a substitute for the rarer Arnica montana (for this reason often called “the poor man’s arnica”). Preparations based on this plant are especially employed for the topical treatment of skin eruptions, minor traumas, and skin irritations, particularly in children. Thanks to its hardiness and the beauty of its woolly flower heads, it can also be used in low-maintenance rock gardens.