About Achillea maritima (L.) Ehrend. & Y.P.Guo
Otanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the chamomile tribe (Anthemideae), which belongs to the daisy family (Asteraceae, also called Compositae). The only known species in this genus is Otanthus maritimus, commonly called the cotton weed plant (scientifically also classified as Achillea maritima (L.) Ehrend. & Y.P.Guo).
Otanthus maritimus is a small, pioneering perennial plant. A thick white down covers both its stems and its small, oval-shaped, slightly saw-toothed alternate leaves. It produces globose flower heads on short peduncles. An envelope of white-woolly scales surrounds the tubular yellow flowers of these heads, and flowers are visible from June through September.
The genus name Otanthus comes from the Greek words otos (meaning ear) and anthos (meaning flower). This name refers to the shape of the corolla, which is made up of three membranous bracts that form a profile similar to a human ear. This plant grows in dune areas across the Mediterranean, and it acts to stabilize sandy soils.
