Wildflowers: Wildflowers of Southwest France

Spring wildflowers were pretty much non-existent in this part of the world (Toulouse region in Southwest France) due to a basically rainless Spring. After that we have had one of the rainiest July ever and, as a result, we have this month of August one of the most outstanding display of wildflowers ever seen around here at this time of the year. I have been busily snapping pictures of them and have been able to identify about 80% of them.

There a re a few I have not been able to and I would appreciate help identifying them. Here are the first 4 plants (the first two pics belong to the same plant). They all grow in a sunny prairie setting.

Gomero

 

I have received two IDs

Second unknown plant (third pic) is Verbena officinalis
Fourth unknown plant (last pic) is Hieracium pilosella

Gomero

 

The first plant looks like some kind of mint. The pink flowers look like some type of Dianthus.

 

Another ID received:

Third plant (fourth pic) is indeed a Dianthus: Dianthus carthusianorum

The leaves of the first plant do not give off anything that could be remotely associated with mint. Mentha arvensis, common around here does smell mint when crushed.

Gomero

 

Check for these three:

Mentha spicata - http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2005/11/24/spearmint/
Mentha suaveolens - http://josenaturaleza.blogspot.com/2010/08/mentha-suaveolens-ehrh-fam-lamiaceae.html
Mentha villosa - http://www.romencegardens.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=3497

 

The Dianthus species is Dianthus armeria, certainly not Dianthus carthusianorum. The mint is not Mentha arvensis, but I am not sure about the species. The identification of Hieracium pilosella should be considered extremely doubtful. I just cannot see enough of this plant. I agree with Verbena officinalis.

 

Thanks Andrey, Mentha suaveolens is close.

Thanks Robert, you may be right in the Dianthus. To confirm Hieracium pilosella ID, I am enclosing two additional pics, one with the flower and another one of the leaves.

Gomero

 

This is certainly not Hieracium pilosella, because this species has entire leaves. I wonder whether this might be Urospermum dalechampii because of the dark flower tips, but I haven't found this plant so far. Therefore I am not sure.

 

Thank you Robert, I have looked at the pictures of Urospermum dalechampii available in the Web and I agree that it is a better match than Hieracium pilosella. Also its geographical habitat, Western and Central Mediterranean from Spain to Dalmatia and North Africa, matches well (Toulouse region is very close to Spain).

Gomero