Selvageira (Sideritis massoniana)

A whitish, tomentose labiate subshrub; the flowers are borne in racemes that are almost always panicled; the calyces are woolly; the corollas are very small and yellow. It is found in the ravines of the interior of Madeira, on the Ponta de São Lourenço, on Porto Santo (‘holy harbour’) and on the Desertas (‘deserted islands’). The Madeiran plants have larger leaves and a more branched inflorescence than the plants of the other islands. The selvageira, known in Madeira as herva branca, is a useful plant in the treatment of coughs, etc.