Berlengas Islands Nature Reserve Field Guide

The Berlengas Islands Nature Reserve includes a group of rocky islands near the western coast of Portugal and their surrounding waters. This guide aims to help the curious and the visitor alike enjoy this unique place, with its rarities and endemisms.

sea spleenwort

Asplenium marinum is known as the sea spleenwort because of its preference for maritime habitats around the coasts of Europe from Italy in the South to Norway in the North.

Isoetes histrix

Isoetes histrix (Land Quillwort) is an aquatic pteridophyte native to the Mediterranean region, northwestern Africa, and the coasts of western Europe northwest to Cornwall. It occurs mainly in temporarily wet habitats, otherwise called vernal pools.

hop trefoil

Trifolium campestre, commonly known as Hop Trefoil and Low Hop Clover, is a species of clover native to Europe and western Asia, growing in most areas, but specifically thriving on dry, sandy grassland habitats, as well as in fields, woodland margins, roadsides, wastelands and cultivated land. The species name campestre means "of the fields".

clustered clover

Trifolium glomeratum is a species of clover known by the common names clustered clover and bush clover. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa and it is known elsewhere as an introduced species. It easily takes hold in disturbed areas, becoming a common weed. It is an annual herb growing decumbent to upright in form with mostly hairless herbage. The leaves are ...more ↓

Bur Clover

Medicago polymorpha is a plant species of the genus Medicago. It is native to the Mediterranean basin but is found throughout the world. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the bacterium Sinorhizobium medicae, which is capable of nitrogen fixation. Common names include California burclover, toothed bur clover, toothed medick and burr ...more ↓

sweet clover

Melilotus indicus, sometimes incorrectly written Melilotus indica, is a yellow-flowered herb native to northern Africa, Europe and Asia, but naturalized throughout the rest of the world.

Common Fig

The common fig (Ficus carica) is a species of flowering plant in the genus Ficus, from the family Moraceae, known as the common fig (or just the fig), anjeer (Iran, Pakistan), and dumur (Bengali). It is the source of the fruit also called the fig, and as such is an important crop in those areas where it is grown commercially. Native to ...more ↓

spreading pellitory

Parietaria judaica, with common names Spreading Pellitory or Pellitory of the wall, is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the family Urticaceae, commonly nicknamed sticky-weed. The plant's pollen is highly allergenic. In Australia it is also known as asthma weed, due to the high incidence of allergy. It is unrelated to the herb pellitory ...more ↓

Wall Pennywort

Umbilicus rupestris (Navelwort, Penny-pies, Wall Pennywort) is a fleshy, perennial, edible flowering plant in the stonecrop family Crassulaceae (in the genus Umbilicus) so named for its umbilicate (navel-like) leaves.

mossy stonecrop

Crassula tillaea is a succulent plant known by its common names mossy stonecrop and moss pygmyweed. It is a small fleshy plant growing only a few centimeters in height. It is green when new and gradually turns orange and then deep red when mature. It has tiny triangular pointed leaves only a few millimeters long. A tiny flower or pair of flowers grows between each ...more ↓

flaxleaf pimpernel

Lysimachia monelli (commonly known as the blue pimpernel and formerly known as Anagallis monelli) is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrsinaceae, native to the Mediterranean region. It is not to be confused with Lysimachia foemina, which has very similar blue flowers, but broader leaves and can be found also in colder climates. In a ...more ↓

Nettle-leaved Goosefoot

Chenopodiastrum murale, (Syn. Chenopodium murale) is a species of plant in the amaranth family known by the common names Nettle-leaved Goosefoot, Australian-spinach, salt-green, sowbane. This plant is native to Europe and parts of Asia and northern Africa, but it is widespread worldwide, particularly in tropical and subtropical areas due to its ...more ↓

common chickweed

Stellaria media, chickweed, is a cool-season annual plant native to Europe, which is often eaten by chickens. It is sometimes called common chickweed to distinguish it from other plants called chickweed. Other common names include chickenwort, craches, maruns, winterweed. The plant germinates in fall or late winter, then forms large mats ...more ↓

sticky mouse-ear chickweed

Cerastium glomeratum is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names sticky mouse-ear chickweed and clammy chickweed. It is probably native to Eurasia but it is known on most continents as an introduced species. It grows in many types of habitat.

white campion

Silene latifolia (formerly Melandrium album), or White Campion, is a dioecious flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to most of Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is a herbaceous annual, occasionally biennial or a short-lived perennial plant, growing to between 40-80 centimetres tall.

Corn Spurrey

Spergula arvensis (corn spurrey) is a species of the genus Spergula.

Crystalline Ice Plant

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum is a prostrate succulent plant native to Africa, Western Asia and Europe. The plant is covered with large, glistening bladder cells, reflected in its common names of common ice plant, crystalline iceplant or iceplant.

Hottentot-Fig

Carpobrotus edulis is native to South Africa. It is also known as ice plant, highway ice plant, pigface or Hottentot fig and in South Africa as the sour fig (suurvy; earlier: hotnotsvy), on account of its edible fruit.

procumbent pigweed

Amaranthus blitoides, commonly called Prostrate amaranth, Matweed, or Mat amaranth, is a glabrous annual plants species. It usually grows up to 0.6 m, though it may grow up to 1 m (3 feet). It flowers in the summer to fall.

Armeria berlengensis

Armeria berlengensis is a flowering plant, a member of a mostly Mediterranean group including the thrifts and sea pinks. It is endemic to the Berlengas, a Portuguese archipelago, where it occurs on the rocky granitic slopes of the islands. It is common on both Berlenga Grande Island and Farilhões.

Horseweed

Conyza canadensis (formerly Erigeron canadensis L.) is an annual plant native throughout most of North America and Central America. Common names include Horseweed, Canadian Horseweed, Canadian Fleabane, Coltstail, Marestail and Butterweed.

Slender Thistle

Carduus tenuiflorus, known variously as slender-flower thistle,sheep thistle,shore thistle,slender thistle,winged plumeless thistle,winged slender thistle, and winged thistle) is a species of thistle.

Australian waterbuttons

Cotula australis is a species of plant in the daisy family known by the common names southern waterbuttons and Australian waterbuttons. This small plant is native to Australia and New Zealand, but it is known in other areas of the world as a common weed. The plant grows low to the ground in a thin mat with some slightly erect, spindly stems. The leaves are divided ...more ↓

brass buttons

The small marsh flower Cotula coronopifolia (also spelled C. coronipifolia) bears the common names brass buttons, golden buttons, and buttonweed. The flowers are bright yellow discoid inflorescences that look like thick buttons. Individual plants spread stems along the ground and send up the knobby flowers at intervals. The plant is native to ...more ↓

common sow thistle

Sonchus oleraceus (common sowthistle,sow thistle,smooth sow thistle, annual sow thistle, hare's colwort, hare's thistle, milky tassel, swinies) is native to Asia and Europe. The Latin name Sonchus refers to the hollow stem, while oleraceus refers to its good taste. The common name sow thistle refers to its ...more ↓

Sonchus tenerrimus

Sonchus tenerrimus is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name slender sow thistle. It is native to Europe, but it is known practically worldwide as a common weed similar to several other species of sow thistle. This annual or perennial herb produces a slender, branching stem up to about 80 centimeters tall. The leaves are deeply divided ...more ↓

Capeweed

Arctotheca calendula is a plant commonly known as cape weed, cape dandelion, or cape marigold because it originates from the Cape Province in South Africa. It is listed as a noxious weed in California and is an invasive weed in Australia as well.

Dove's Foot Cranesbill

Geranium molle, the Dove's-foot Crane's-bill or Dovesfoot Geranium, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Geraniaceae family.

Bermuda Buttercup

Oxalis pes-caprae (Bermuda buttercup, African wood-sorrel, Bermuda sorrel, Buttercup oxalis, Cape sorrel, English weed, Goat's-foot, Sourgrass, Soursob and Soursop; (Afrikaans: Suring) ) is a species of tristylous flowering plant in the wood sorrel family Oxalidaceae. Oxalis cernua is a less ...more ↓

European heliotrope

Heliotropium europaeum is a species of heliotrope known by the common names European Heliotrope and European Turnsole. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but it is widely naturalized elsewhere, such as in Australia and North America. It grows as a roadside weed in some places. This is an annual herb growing from a taproot and reaching maximum heights ...more ↓

Mediterranean lineseed

Bellardia trixago is a species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known as Mediterranean lineseed. This plant is native to the Mediterranean Basin, but it is known in other places with similar climates, such as California and parts of Chile, where it is an introduced species and noxious weed.

Olive

The olive (i/ˈɒlɪv/ or i/ˈɑːləv/, Olea europaea, meaning "Oil from/of Europe") is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as the Levant, northern Saudi Arabia, northern Iraq, and northern Iran at the south of the Caspian Sea.

Stachys arvensis

Stachys arvensis is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names staggerweed and field woundwort. It is native to Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa. It is known on other continents as an introduced species and widespread weed.

minutina

Plantago coronopus (minutina, erba stella, buck's horn plantain) is a species of Plantago sometimes grown as a leaf vegetable, mostly incorporated in salad mixes for specialty markets. Recently it has become popular as a frost-hardy winter crop for farmers in northern climates, and is usually grown in unheated hightunnels. It is native to Eurasia and ...more ↓

Fumaria muralis

Fumaria muralis, commonly wall fumitory or common ramping fumitory, is a many branched, annual herbaceous plant, native to Europe.

Rough-fruited Buttercup

Ranunculus muricatus is a species of buttercup known by the common name spinyfruit buttercup. It is native to Europe, but it can be found in many other places in the world, including parts of Africa, Australia, and the western and eastern United States, as an introduced species and agricultural and roadside weed. It grows in wet habitats, such as irrigation ditches. It is ...more ↓

Jimson Weed

Datura stramonium, known by the common names Jimson weed or datura, is a plant in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, which is believed to have originated in the Americas, but is now found around the world. Other common names for D. stramonium include thornapple and moon flower, and it has the Spanish name Toloache

Black nightshade

Solanum nigrum (European black nightshade or locally just "black nightshade", duscle, garden nightshade, hound's berry, petty morel, wonder berry, small-fruited black nightshade or popolo) is a species in the Solanum genus, native to Eurasia and introduced in the Americas, Australasia and South Africa. Parts ...more ↓

Tree Tobacco

Nicotiana glauca is a species of wild tobacco known by the common name tree tobacco. Its leaves are attached to the stalk by petioles (many other Nicotiana species have sessile leaves), and its leaves and stems are neither pubescent nor sticky like Nicotiana tabacum. It grows to heights of more than two meters.

Dodder

Cuscuta epithymum (L.) L., (Dodder, Hellweed, Strangle-tare, called in Spain azafrán borde o cabellos de monte) is a parasitic plant assigned to the Cuscutaceae or Convolvulaceae family, depending on the taxonomy. It is red-pigmented, not being photosynthetically active. It has a filiform habit, like a group of yarns. Its leaves are very small, ...more ↓

knotted hedgeparsley

Torilis nodosa is a species of flowering plant in the parsley family known by the common names knotted hedge parsley. It is native to parts of Europe, especially the Mediterranean Basin and it is known elsewhere, such as North America, as an introduced species and a common weed. It grows in many types of habitat, particularly disturbed areas. It is an annual herb ...more ↓

Castor Oil Plant

The castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It belongs to a monotypic genus, Ricinus, and subtribe, Ricininae. The evolution of castor and its relation to other species are currently being studied using modern genetic tools.

Annual Mercury

Mercurialis annua is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family known by the common name annual mercury. It is native to Europe but it is known on many other continents as an introduced species. It grows in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. This is an annual herb growing 10 to 30 centimeters tall with oppositely arranged oval leaves each a few ...more ↓

Trailing St John's-wort

Hypericum humifusum is a prostrate flowering plant in the genus Hypericum commonly known as trailing St John's wort. It is found in Western Europe.

Lesser swine-cress

Coronopus didymus (common name Lesser swine-cress)is a species of Coronopus, which is a genus of plants in the Brassicaceae (mustard family). It is easily recognizable by its spreading stems, pinnate leaves, and biglobose fruits. It flowers between April and October. It has decumbent or ascending and glabrous green stems, up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long, ...more ↓

Cabbage

Brassica oleracea is the species of plant that includes many common foods as cultivars, including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, savoy, and Chinese kale. In its uncultivated form it is known as wild cabbage. It is native to coastal southern and western Europe. Its tolerance of salt and lime and its intolerance of competition from other plants ...more ↓

Danish Scurvy-grass

Cochlearia danica, or Danish Scurvy-grass is a flowering plant of the genus Cochlearia in the family Brassicaceae.

silver hairgrass

Aira caryophyllea is a species of grass known by the common name silver hairgrass. This is a species of bunchgrass which is native to Europe.

soft brome

Bromus hordeaceus, soft brome, is an annual or biennial species of grass in the true grass family (Poaceae). It is also known in North America as bull grass, soft cheat, and soft chess.

Poa infirma

Poa infirma is a species of grass known by the common names weak bluegrass and early meadowgrass. It was first described from a specimen found in Colombia, but it is actually an introduced species in the Americas and is native to Europe. It grows in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. It is very similar to Poa annua, which is probably a ...more ↓

Edited by Duarte Frade, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)