Convolvulus lanuginosus

Subshrub perennial of the Convolvulaceae family, present in the western Mediterranean basin, from the Iberian Peninsula to the Maghreb. It occupies open garrigues, dry grasslands, and rocky limestone slopes in full light, on very well-drained and poor soils.

It forms a sprawling and very branched bush, 20 to 40 cm in height, with long and slender, silvery gray stems, bearing narrowly cut leaves. The most striking feature of the species is the hairiness of the buds and bracts: a dense fleece of tawny to reddish hairs, almost silky, that completely envelops the floral glomerules and gives them the appearance of small coppery velvety balls, very visible among the gray of the stems.

The funnel-shaped flowers are pure white to slightly pink, with a greenish center, the buds often showing a deeper pink before opening. In its natural habitat, flowering extends from May to July.

In cultivation, it requires a very draining, stony, and poor soil, in full sun, and does not tolerate stagnant moisture in winter.