Crucianella maritima, Rubeola maritima, Maritime crosswort,
Hebrew: צלבית החוף, Arabic: حوزيل

Scientific name:		Crucianella maritima L.
Synonym name:		Rubeola maritima (L.) Moench
Common name:		Maritime crosswort
Hebrew name:		צלבית החוף
Arabic name:		حوزيل
Plant Family:		Rubiaceae, פואתיים

Life form:		Chamaephyte
Stems:		10-40 cm, glabrous, glaucous, woody rootstock, winding; sturdy stems, little woody
Leaves:		Whorled, entire, smooth
Flowers:		Hermaphrodite, yellow
Fruits / pods:		Schizocarp, a dry fruit that splits into single-seeded parts when ripe
Flowering Period:		April, May, June
Habitat:		Mediterranean strand
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands
Chorotype:		Mediterranean
Summer shedding:		Perennating

Derivation of the botanical name: Crucianella, Latin crux, "cross" ; the leaves of these herbs being crosswise. maritima, growing by the sea. Rubeola, Latin rubeus, red; "measles." The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy. The standard author abbreviation Moench is used to indicate Conrad Moench (1744 – 1805), a German botanist.