ANTHYLLIS CYTISOIDES: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, CARE, DISEASES - BIOLOGY - 2024

Anthyllis cytisoides, commonly known as albaida, is a shrubby species that belongs to the Fabaceae family. Depending on the region, it is also known as a white bush, albada or albada vera.

It is considered a low elevation shrub (about 1 m), with many flexible branches and covered by a whitish or greyish tomentum. Its leaves in the lower part are simple, they have petioles, while those in the upper part are sessile and trifoliate.

Anthyllis cytisoides or albaida. Source: © Hans Hillewaert

It grows in Mediterranean climates, especially in limestone soils, and does not tolerate frost. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant, as a honey, to treat asthma and is useful in recovery plans for degraded soils.

Its flowers are yellow, which are characterized by being grouped in long spikes, they are yellowish and very pubescent. They produce an indehiscent ovoid legume without pubescence.

General characteristics

Appearance

This plant is seen as a woody species that can reach up to a meter and a half in height, but generally reaches 0.90 or 1 m.

The branches are erect and fully covered with whitish or gray trichomes, and very tight, resembling a very dense white tomentum.

Leaves

The leaves of the lower part are unifoliate and have a short petiole, being lanceolate; while the upper leaves are trifoliate (the terminal leaflet is longer than the other two) and sessile.

Flower

The flowers are grouped in a spike that contains 2 or 3 units. They are inserted in the axils of the bracts and have a tubular calyx, with much pubescence and a yellow corolla. It has 10 stamens which are welded in a tubular way in the filaments. Flowering occurs from April to May.

The flowers of the albaida are grouped in elongated spikes. Source: © Hans Hillewaert

Fruit and seed

After fertilization, the flowers produce an indehiscent sheath, without trichomes and with red spots throughout. Inside it keeps the greenish-yellow seeds, kidney-shaped, which mature from July to August.

Taxonomy

-Kingdom: Plantae

-Filo: Tracheophyta

-Class: Magnoliopsida

-Order: Fabales

-Family: Fabaceae

-Gender: Anthyllis

-Species: Anthyllis cytisoides

Habitat and distribution

Albaida is a wild species that is distributed in areas with a Mediterranean climate such as Spain and northwestern Africa. It is considered a good species to protect the soil from erosion.

One of the advantages of this plant is that it accumulates organic matter and, therefore, increases the content of this component in the soil where it grows.

The white bush can be found in hills with an arid climate, dry and stony areas, with soils rich especially in limestone rock, although it does not have a preference for any type of substrate.

This plant does not tolerate frost, but it is able to germinate after a fire.

Applications

This plant is known to be useful in the pharmacological industry to treat asthma and prevent colds. However, care must be taken as it generates some toxicity.

Also, albaida is considered a melliferous species. From them, top quality honeys of light consistency are obtained, as well as those produced from rosemary and orange blossom.

In addition, it is used as an ornamental species for gardens and landscaping projects, since both its foliage and its flowers are highly valued. Likewise, these plants are used on islands, and in the middle of roads. They are used in combination with species such as Limonium insigne, Phlomis purpurea, Crithmum maritimum, among others.

In ancient times it was used to make brooms thanks to its thin, flexible and smooth branches. Also with the branches, fire was set in the homes and frames were created for the silkworm breeding.

The white bush lives in hot and dry places. Source: Javier martin

Care

Spread

Albaida multiplies from seed. For this, the seeds must be collected between the months of July and August, after their fruits mature. After harvesting, the seeds should be cleaned by threshing and winnowing, and later stored in cold (4 or 5 ° C) and with a humidity of approximately 8%.

The indehiscence of the fruit represents a difficulty for the multiplication of this species, since it is a bit complex to separate the seed from the fruit. For this reason, pregerminative treatments are required. These treatments that are used are the scarification with sulfuric acid for an hour, and wash abundantly after that. With this technique it is possible to reach up to 80% germination.

Likewise, the external seed coat can be removed by mechanical scarification, in which up to 80.8% germination can be achieved. If no treatment is carried out, you can choose to sow the seed without removing it from the legume. In this case, germination occurs between 15 and 20 days.

It requires a sandy substrate with good drainage. 4 to 6 seeds can be sown for each cell 15 cm deep. After the seedlings reach between 5 and 8 cm, they must be put in full sun to become robust.

Albaida is a beautiful and resistant plant, useful for recovering eroded soils. Source: Ximenex

Similarly, albaida can be sown from young cuttings after the flowering period.

Its ecological importance as a pioneer species in the reestablishment of degraded areas in the Mediterranean, has led some researchers to propagate it through in vitro cultures through juvenile cotyledon and apical bud explants, as well as adult explants such as axillary buds. With this they have obtained excellent results in the modified culture medium Shenk and Hildebrandt.

Transplant

Planting or transplanting is recommended in the spring time to avoid the risk of frost damage.

Pruning

It is recommended to remove dry leaves and withered flowers, as well as weak or broken branches.

fertilizer

It can be fertilized once or twice a month with guano or manure. To do this, you can apply a handful to its base and mix it with the surface layer of the earth and then water it.

Irrigation

If it is in a pot, once or twice a week will be enough, while if it is in the garden, it is necessary to water it during the first year for one or two times a week, and then, with rainwater (300 mm per year) is sufficient.

Plagues and diseases

This plant has great resistance to natural enemies. Therefore, pests and diseases are not a matter of concern for the cultivation and use of this shrub.

References

1. Gavidia, I., Zaragoza, C., Segura, J., Pérez-Bermúdez, P. 1997. Plant regeneration from juvenile and adult Anthyllis cytisoides, a multipurpose leguminous shrub. Journal of Plant Physiology 150 (6): 714-718.
2. Flowers and plants. 2018. Anthyllis cytisoides or Albaida. Taken from: floresyplantas.net
3. Catalog of Life: 2019 Annual Checklist. Species details: Anthyllis cytisoides L. Taken from: catalogueoflife.org
4. López, G. 2004. Guide to the trees and shrubs of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. 2nd ed. Editions Mundi-Prensa. 894 p. Taken from: books.google.co.ve
5. Sánchez, M. 2019. Anthyllis cytisoides or albaida, a beautiful and resistant plant. Taken from: jardineriaon.com