Convolvulus lineatus

Perennial of the Convolvulaceae family, widespread in the Mediterranean basin, from the Iberian Peninsula to Central Asia, passing through southern France, Italy, and the Balkans. It colonizes dry lawns, calcareous wastelands, roadsides, and open scrublands, on poor and well-drained soils, in full sun.

It forms low and spreading, non-twining clumps, 10 to 20 cm in height, with prostrate to ascending stems. The leaves are narrowly lanceolate to linear, covered with a silky silver pubescence that gives them a characteristic metallic sheen, and traversed by prominent parallel veins, a trait that gave the species its name.

The funnel-shaped flowers are pure white to pale pink, with the divisions of the limb highlighted by more pronounced streaks. The buds, often a deeper pink before anthesis, emerge directly from the silky foliage. The flowering is abundant, largely covering the foliage. In its natural habitat, flowering extends from May to July.

In cultivation, it requires very well-drained soil, preferably calcareous, in a sunny position. It tolerates summer drought well and withstands moderate frost if the soil remains dry in winter. Its silver foliage makes it attractive even when not in bloom.