Flora canaria > Especies silvestres
Bifora testiculata
Bifora testiculata (L.) Spreng
Familia
APIACEAE
Bifora
Bifora testiculata, commonly known as lesser coriander or two-globular caraway, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Apiaceae family. Its most characteristic and distinctive feature is the peculiar shape of its doubly globular fruit, which resembles testicles or a pair of spectacles.
It is a therophyte (annual) plant that grows to a height of up to 30–40 cm. It has erect, somewhat branched stems. Its basal leaves are deeply divided into linear or thread-like segments, similar to those of coriander or carrots.
The small flowers, white or slightly pinkish on the outside, are arranged in compound umbels with 1 to 3 rays. It usually flowers between March and June.
The fruit, measuring between 2 and 3.5 mm, is glabrous, rough-surfaced and consists of two joined subglobose mericarps, which give it its highly characteristic shape.
Its root and the whole plant give off a strong, distinctive odour, often described as unpleasant when raw. Despite this, it is traditionally used in Mediterranean ethnobotany as a culinary condiment, with the tender leaves being used in small quantities.
Gran Canaria
Bifora
Bifora testiculata, commonly known as lesser coriander or two-globular caraway, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Apiaceae family. Its most characteristic and distinctive feature is the peculiar shape of its doubly globular fruit, which resembles testicles or a pair of spectacles.
It is a therophyte (annual) plant that grows to a height of up to 30–40 cm. It has erect, somewhat branched stems. Its basal leaves are deeply divided into linear or thread-like segments, similar to those of coriander or carrots.
The small flowers, white or slightly pinkish on the outside, are arranged in compound umbels with 1 to 3 rays. It usually flowers between March and June.
The fruit, measuring between 2 and 3.5 mm, is glabrous, rough-surfaced and consists of two joined subglobose mericarps, which give it its highly characteristic shape.
Its root and the whole plant give off a strong, distinctive odour, often described as unpleasant when raw. Despite this, it is traditionally used in Mediterranean ethnobotany as a culinary condiment, with the tender leaves being used in small quantities.
Gran Canaria
