A beautiful specimen, untouched by goats and seemingly at its full potential. The vertical cliffs of Socotra are safe havens for many species that otherwise would have been browsed by the goats, leaving their growth stunted and the species almost unrecognizable.
According to A G Miller and M Morris this is a species restricted to limestone cliffs, as is the case for this individual. Furthermore they have, in lack of a scientific name, named it Helicrysum Sp. B. They have identified 4 such species on Socotra, Helicrysum A-D. Unfortunately this individual is still a few weeks from blossom, which mean I did not see the pink or lilac flowers of this species. I think that in the last week of February (3 weeks from now) the flowers would likely be fully formed.
Last updated on 8 November 2024