The aphyllante of Montpellier

The Aphyllante of Montpellier (or Barjavou) is a typical plant typical of the Mediterranean scrubland. Its name, in Greek, designate it as a flower without leaves (a = private, phullon = leave, anthos = flower: flower without leaf); In fact it has the appearance of numerous stems pushing in clumps, at the end of which come out of the blue flowers from May to August. Despite its apparent absence of leaves, it constitutes an important resource of pasture for sheep flocks, particularly in winter.