Pulicaria (Pulicaria diffusa)

Subshrub, woody at base, with ascending stems. Stems and young leaves are covered in a whitish down, which gradually disappears. Leaves are narrowly spathulate, up to 9 cm long and 2 cm wide, apex rounded, margins crenate or dentate, often wavy. Flowers are terminal, solitary and yellow. This xerophyte has been recorded on the islands of Sal, Boavista, Maio, Santiago and Fogo, but can only be confirmed for the first two; it has not been seen in Fogo for almost a century and a half. It is relatively abundant on Sal, where it occupies extensive areas of sandy and stony ground, between sea level and 370 m, and can be dominant. Restricted distribution and the current state of its populations make this a vulnerable species.