#shepherd'stea

Plant of the Day

Tuesday 4 July 2017

The bees could not resist Sideritis scardica (ironwort, mountain tea, shepherd's tea) which I found growing on the rock garden of Copenhagen Botanic Garden, Denmark, fortunately the garden has its own community hives and the honey was delicious! This short-lived herbaceous perennial was seeding into the porous rocks. It is an endemic to the Balkan Peninsula, where it is found at high altitudes in open, dry, grassy and stony meadows and rocky places. It is endangered in the wild due to collecting to meet demand for its medicinal value.