Wall germander
Teucrium chamaedrys
Historically used as a traditional folk remedy for gout and weight loss, it was banned in several countries in the late 20th century due to causing acute liver injury.
- Scientific name
- Teucrium chamaedrys
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Lamiaceae › Teucrium
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Dry, calcareous grasslands, rocky limestone slopes, scrublands, and open, sunny woodlands.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthetic, utilizing sunlight, water, and alkaline, nutrient-poor soils).
- Range
- Mediterranean Basin, Southern Europe, Western Asia, Northern Africa
- Size
- 10 to 30 cm in height, forming low spreading mounds up to 60 cm wide.
- Lifespan
- 5 to 10 years (perennial subshrub)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat destruction, urban development, and agricultural intensification of dry grasslands.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch and appreciate. Wall germander is safe to observe closely and has a pleasant, aromatic scent. However, do not ingest any part of the plant, as it contains diterpenes that can cause severe liver damage (hepatotoxicity) if consumed.
Teucrium chamaedrys , the wall germander , is a species of ornamental plant native to Mediterranean region of Europe and North Africa, and to the Middle East as far east as Iran. It was historically used as a medicinal herb for the treatment of gout and sometimes as a component of Venice treacle.
Photo: Ljaž, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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