Archaeophyte

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As archaeophytes ( Greek ἀρχαῖος archaíos , German 'old' , and φυτόν phytón , German 'plant' ) are hemerochoric plant species that reached America before 1492 , when Christopher Columbus , but in the broader sense of historical time, through direct or indirect human Influence were introduced into a new area and have propagated (established) there independently without outside help. In contrast, plants that were introduced after 1492 are called neophytes . Archaeophytes are not considered as native ( indigenous ), but especially in the nature reserve considered contrary to neophytes as home.

The cornflower is a speirochore plant and is one of the archaeophytes in Central Europe.

Historical chorology conducts research into the spread of archaeophytes .

Central European archaeophytes almost all come from the Mediterranean region and the adjacent areas of Western Asia, as they were introduced into Central Europe with the beginning of agriculture and increasingly since Roman times . They therefore include many familiar plants such as cultivated apples , pears , plums , cereals such as wheat and barley, as well as flowers and medicinal plants such as poppy , cornflower , real chamomile and cornrade . Many archaeophytes are now on the Red Lists of Endangered Species due to the intensification or abandonment of land management .

The introduction of archaeophytes happened in the context of human culture. This type of plant spread is called hemerochory and can have taken place directly via seeds ( ethelochory ), via seeds as a companion to seeds ( speirochory ) or through unintentional transport ( agochory ).

literature

  • Ursula Hoffmann, Michael Schwerdtfeger: ... and the golden tree of life. Pleasure trips and educational trips in the realm of plants. Burgdorf, Göttingen 1998, ISBN 3-89762-000-6
  • Bernhard Kegel : The ant as a tramp. From biological invaders. Heyne, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-453-18439-4
  • Tim Low: Feral Future. The untold story of Australia's exotic invaders. Penguin Books Australia, Ringwood 2001, ISBN 0-14-029825-8
  • Heinz-Dieter Krausch : Kaiserkron and red peonies ... Discovery and introduction of our garden flowers. Dölling and Galitz, Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-935549-23-7
  • Angelika Lüttig, Juliane Kasten: Rose hip & Co. Flowers, fruits and spread of European plants. Fauna, Nottuln 2003, ISBN 3-935980-90-6