Leaf
Pierre Bonnet, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Tree germander
Teucrium fruticans L.
Also known as: Shrubby germander
Family: Lamiaceae
0.5 to 1.5 m tall
Low hedges, edgings, dry gardens, free-draining soils
Flowering: April – July
Full sun
Hardy to -12°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its entirely silvery-grey foliage makes it an excellent contrast in Mediterranean borders. Tree germander is a taller subshrub with persistent silvery foliage, whereas wall germander is a small mat-forming perennial with lobed leaves like those of an oak.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, small, ovate, silvery-grey above and below
🌸 Flowers
Small blue-mauve gaping flowers, in the leaf axils
🍎 Fruits
Small dry achenes, barely visible
🪵 Bark
Square, silvery-white stems, bushy habit
🗺️ Distribution
Western Mediterranean; grown in France as an ornamental, occurring naturally in a few areas of garrigue in the south.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Pale blue nectar-bearing flowers over a long season, visited by bees and bumblebees.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted as a clipped low hedge or in Mediterranean borders for its persistent silvery-grey foliage.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Tree germander
Teucrium fruticans
Wall germander
Teucrium chamaedrys
Tree germander is a taller subshrub with persistent silvery foliage, whereas wall germander is a small mat-forming perennial with lobed leaves like those of an oak.
🌿 Other Lamiaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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