This is one of the most beautiful species of the large group of so-called thistles.
It is a perennial herbaceous (that is, it is visible during all year) and thorny, with deep roots.
They can reach up to one meter in height, although, as a rule, they are more modest in dimensions ranging from 25 to 60 cm.
It is distributed throughout the Iberian Peninsula and northwest of Africa, namely Algeria and Morocco.
In Portugal it occurs mainly in the center and south of the territory of the continent and because it is closely associated with certain popular traditions, such as the merry Popular Saints, it is also known as Artichoke-de-São-João.
It flowers from May to June, the flowers being violet-blue in color. The whole aerial part of the dry plant during the rest of the summer, being only possible to observe a "rosette" of leaves at the level ground.
Like Milk Thistle, flowers can be used as "rennet" in artisanal cheese making.

It is the most abundant arboreal species of the region and the main responsible for the few existing shadows. It is under them that many animals protect themselves from the scorching summer sun.
They have a very variable size but, in the case of the montados, due to successive cuts made by the Man, the trees are 12-15 m high.
The crowns (upper part of the tree) are broad, dense and rounded. Due to the persistence of the leaves (up to 4 years), the appearance of the crowns changes little throughout the year, except for the appearance of a yellowish color in the spring due to the masculine flowers (amentilhos).
Its fruits, the acorns, mature from the late fall and are an important part of the diet of many animals, including the Alentejo pig.
Over the centuries, its dense wood has been used in the building as it is resistant to the rotting and attack of xylophagous (wood-eating) insects.
In Portugal it is protected by law.

Typical of the Mediterranean Region, the blue-violet flower of this thistle contains an enzyme (chymosin) that acts as a natural coagulant of milk in the elaboration of cheeses.
To prepare them for the rennet, as soon as they begin to open the flowers are collected and then left to dry. After drying, by adding portions of these flowers to the milk for the manufacture of cheese, the milk is coagulated in which its solid part (curd) is separated from the whey.
This was traditionally and for several hundred years, the most used coagulant in the Mediterranean territories, and is still used today in the region of Castro Verde to manufacture handmade cheese.
As a curiosity, Artichoke Brava also has coagulant properties.

It is a herb native to the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean, having been introduced a little throughout the northern hemisphere.
Each plant has one or more stems, scattered and thin, that branch from the base and can go up to 30 cm in length. They are upright and upright.
The red and yellow flowers are discrete in size, but when the plant dominates the fields in the spring it makes them reddish.
Much appreciated in cooking, the leaves can be used in salads for their characteristic acid taste and also as seasoning.

It is an annual plant, it is also commonly called by Marigolds.
It is distributed throughout the country, living in colonies, on sandy terrain as well as on cultivated or uncultivated lands and also along roadsides.
Curiously it closes the petals at dusk, returning to open them completely only in the hours of full sun. This intimate relationship as the solar cycle is reflected in its name, which derives from the Latin word - calendae - which means "first day of every month", and from which also derived the word calendar (which is known to be based on Solar cycle).
The flower, yellow-orange, are characterized by undeniable perfume and the leaves are soft and velvety. In the spring, fallow fields become authentic yellow "carpets" of this plant.

It is characteristic of the Mediterranean landscapes, impregnating the warm summer air with its strong and unmistakable aroma.
They are plants that are not very demanding in nutritional terms and occur spontaneously in sunny places.
The flowers occur during the months of May and June, are solitary and large, and can reach 10 cm in diameter. White with or without brown spots last only one day. This situation is largely compensated by a very profuse flowering, with flowers constantly opening while the flowering season is in progress.
The flowers attract a wide variety of butterflies and other insects, including bees which are great enjoyers of pollen, with which they produce a very aromatic honey.
The stems and leaves are sticky, clinging to clothing and to the skin itself. This is due to the fact that the whole plant secretes a resin (lahdane) that is intended to protect it from dissecting in the dry climates where it lives, limiting its perspiration.

It is a group of medium-sized plants, cylindrical and hollow stems, which grow in humid places.
Similar to grasses, they are dark green and flexible plants, reaching a usual size of 1.5 m in height.
Some species of reeds are used as food sources by larvae of various butterflies.
Once upon a time there were many used to make baskets, mats and chair seats. Today many are grown as ornamental plants and even used to clean and oxygenate contaminated water.

Endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, it is a narcissus that grows from an underground stem called a bulb (and which resembles a large onion) and can reach a height of one meter.
The leaves emerge from the bulb when spring begins and flowering occurs in full spring season. The flowers are bright yellow and well scented.
In autumn it loses its leaves, leaving only the dormant bulb in the soil, which when storing nutrients gives rise, next spring, to a new plant.
This is one of the species of narcissus that can be used to get essential oil used as a perfume.

Native to the Mediterranean region, it usually occurs in dry locations and on compacted or stony ground.
It presents a stem with 10 to 30 cm of height, being the leaves greater than that greater (they can reach to the 50cm).
They bloom in early spring, the flowers being purplish-blue and very similar to lilies. These flowers have the peculiarity of being ephemeral: they open at noon and wilt a few hours later.

It is the domestic genus of the wild form, that is, the Zambujeiro (or Oliveira-brava).
It can reach 15 meters high and live more than 2,000 years!
It is known today that its domestication occurred a little throughout the Mediterranean, and its diffusion has been facilitated by the invasions and trade that have always occurred in this region. However it will have been with the Roman invasions that this tree has known the greatest diffusion.
The interest in food (olives and olive oil) motivated crosses and trials to obtain fruits of larger size, which caused a morphological distance from the wild variety (zambujeiro).
Today, Oliveira is cultivated throughout the Mediterranean, for the production of olive oil and use of olives.
The leaves have medicinal application, being used to combat high blood pressure.
Its wood has high resistance, it is used for small pieces of woodwork and marquetry.
In the last decades it has been increasingly used in landscaping.

Also known as Marigold-bravo can be found during the spring to fill the fields with bright yellow.
Like other plant species of the Compostas family, the yellow disk is formed by a set of flowers flanked by flowers provided with elongated, petal-like, also yellow structures.
The few flowers on the periphery are generally sterile and their function is merely decorative. It is they that attract the pollinating insects, making the whole desirable.
Strongly aromatic, it plays a role repellent of insects and mites and becomes an excellent companion for other plants.

Of the 22 existing species of poppies, only a small number grow spontaneously in Portugal.
This is the case of the Red Poppy which by springtime rejoices the fallow fields and the roadside, swinging its great solitary red flowers to the wind.
Generally speaking, it is more abundant in the wet springs that follow dry and sunny winters, requiring a lot of light. To this end, it contributes to the production of many seeds which remain dormant in the soil for many years, awaiting the most favorable conditions to germinate.
When cut, its stem (erect and covered with small hairs) produces a whitish secretion called latex that the plant uses to aid in the "healing" of the cut made.
Due to its soothing properties the flowers and leaves have been used in alternative medicine since ancient times, being used in the treatment of several evils from colds to nervous disorders.
Already their seeds are much appreciated as condiment in breads and cakes, either alone or in mixture with other seeds.

It is one of the most abundant floating plants in lakes and watercourses with weak current and nutrient poor.
It lives in water and, therefore, roots in the bottom of the water masses, having leaves either to the surface (floating) or submerged. On the surface also appear the flowers with their white petals and yellow center, with about 6mm.
It sometimes forms exuberant "rugs" on the watercourses, which is an indicator of the excessive presence of nutrients, especially phosphates and nitrates, which causes excessive organic matter (ie water eutrophication).

This type of plant has nectaries that attract insects, especially bees that take advantage of the nectar to make honey, which is why it is also known as Chupa mel.It is also sought by certain species of butterflies to lay eggs on the leaves that will feed the larvae.Another popular name is Soago-viperina, which should be related to the fact that the corolla and the stamens, seen in profile, look like a viper´s head and its forked tongue.When it dominates, it makes the fields purple.