Cerinthe
Family: Boraginaceae
English: Honeyworts
This is an annual little plant occurring in waste areas as well as in the perimeter of cultivated olive groves. It is very beautiful with small, yellow or yellow and purple flowers in the shape of bells. It blooms from March to May.
Its leaves are ovate to lance-shaped with tiny, white and hairy stigmata. In Greece it occurs in Samos, Peloponnese and Crete. According to Dioscurides, poultice from the leaves of this plant wipes out the dark aging spots from the face and hands. In her book "Contribution to Popular Nomenclature of Plants", Mrs. Evangelia Fragaki says that some people consider this plant poisonous. Nevertheless, a lot of women on Crete collect it and mix it with other raw greens in fresh salads.
Popular Greek names:
"Kouvakia", "Drakakia", "Nerolahano", "Neroulakia".
