Common heather

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Common heather
Common heather (Calluna vulgaris)

Common heather ( Calluna vulgaris )

Systematics
Nuclear eudicotyledons
Asterids
Order : Heather-like (Ericales)
Family : Heather family (Ericaceae)
Genre : Common heather
Type : Common heather
Scientific name of the  genus
Calluna
Salisb.
Scientific name of the  species
Calluna vulgaris
( L. ) Hull

The heather ( Calluna vulgaris ), and Heather called, is the only kind of monotypic genus Calluna that the family of the heather family belongs (Ericaceae). It is a formative plant species in the heathland .

Common heather is Flower of the Year 2019.

description

illustration
Habit and leaves
Stems with leaves
inflorescence
Flowers in detail
Open flower
Infructescence, the four petals dry up and do not fall off the flowers.

Vegetative characteristics

Common heather is a woody and evergreen dwarf shrub that grows relatively slowly and can live for around 40 years. Its height is 30 to 100 centimeters, the latter assumes undisturbed development. Common heather is a deep-rooted species with an endotrophic mycorrhiza of the Ericaceous type. It differs from the related and sometimes quite similar Erika species in that leathery, opposite leaves that are only a few millimeters long lie scaly on the branches and curl upwards . Stomata are only on the underside of the leaf and are protected by hair.

Generative characteristics

The flowering period extends from late summer to autumn . The nodding flowers are in a dense, racemose inflorescence . The hermaphrodite, four-fold, white and pink to purple-colored flowers are 1 to about 4 millimeters in length. The four- crown- and sepals are colored the same; the latter are twice as long as the rather inconspicuous crown. There are eight stamens . The anthers each have two horn-like appendages. In order to release the pollen , they open by means of terminal pores. The flowering period of common heather begins at four years of age.

A multi-seeded capsule fruit is formed.

The basic chromosome number is × = 8; there is diploidy , so the chromosome number is 2n = 16.

ecology

Way of life

Characteristic life cycles of Calluna vulgaris can be distinguished, each of which houses their own communities: In the pioneering phase, common heather grows very patchy and rarely reaches heights of 10 to 15 cm. During the build-up phase, almost complete coverage is gradually achieved, the flowers are very profuse, the plants reach heights of up to 40 cm. This phase is most favorable for sheep farming, beekeeping and tourism. In the ripening phase the Calluna becomes increasingly lignified and is no longer dogged by sheep. It will now (if development is undisturbed) 60 to 100 cm high and lighter, mosses and grasses increasingly penetrate. In the degeneration phase, the plants die from the middle, but at the same time they can take root on branches that are lying on top. Typical ring-shaped structures with a central gap arise.

Adjustments

The leathery rolling leaves, the stomata of which are protected by hair on the underside of the leaf, are interpreted as adapting to low-nitrogen soils ( peinomorphosis ).

Pollination ecology

The flowers are "bluebells with a scattering device" (but without a scattering cone). Their visual effect goes back to the long-lasting sepals ; the inconspicuous petals are meaningless in this regard. The stamens are already open in the bud . The nectar is readily available and there is a lively visit from insects ; Particularly frequent visitors are the ocher leaf tensioner , the honey bee ( heather honey ) and butterflies . The pollination is effected by insects ( insect pollination ). Pollination is also possible through the tiny bladder- foot species Taeniothrips ericae ("thunderstorm worms"). The females fly from flower to flower in search of the wingless males and thereby pollinate the flowers. Even wind pollination is possible. If there is no visit from the insects, the stamens lengthen and pollen is transferred in abundance with the wind.

Propagation ecology

The columnar, multi-seeded capsule fruits remain hidden in the calyx. The tiny, only 1.5 mm long, but nonetheless long-lived seeds are shaken out by the wind and spread as a granular flyer ( meteorochory ). Fruit ripe from March to April of the following year. The seeds are light germs and their germination is particularly encouraged by not too strong fires. Vegetative reproduction occasionally takes place through rooting branches (laying plants).

Synecology

The heather is considered as fodder plant for many species of butterflies and their caterpillars, including endangered species such as the Kiefernheide Sackträger that anarta myrtilli , the green moorland tensioner or the Hesperia comma .

The nectar of the common heather contains the substance callulen , which combats the intestinal parasite Crithidia bombi of the bumblebees .

Flowering common heather in a sand heather biotope in northern Germany

Occurrence

Common heather is of course widespread throughout Europe, with a focus on Central and Northern Europe , in the east it occurs as far as western Siberia . It is particularly common in areas shaped by the Ice Age . Scottish immigrants introduced the common heather to Canada in the 19th century . Since then it has spread to North America , where it is considered a neophyte .

The common heather is considered an acid pointer . It occurs naturally in sunny to light locations, mainly on lime-free sands . It grows preferentially on dry, but also on alternately moist soils , for example in corresponding areas of moors . Habitat are heaths, moors, dunes, light forests. It is a Nardo-Callunetea class of character in Central Europe .

The common heather occurs from the lowlands up to altitudes of 2700 meters. In the Allgäu Alps , the Besenheide in the Tyrolean part of the Mutte rises above Bernhardseck to an altitude of up to 2100 meters.

Systematics

It was first published in 1753 under the name ( Basionym ) Erica vulgaris by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum 1: 352. The genus Calluna was set up in 1802 by Richard Anthony Salisbury in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London , Volume 6, p. 317. The recombination to Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull was published in 1808 by John Hull in The British Flora , 1, p. 114. The generic name Calluna is derived from the Greek word kallyno for "I clean, sweep". The specific epithet vulgaris means ordinary.

Calluna vulgaris is the only species of the monotypic genus Calluna from the tribe Ericeae in the subfamily Ericoideae within the family Ericaceae .

use

The common heather is an important pasture for bees in beekeeping , because its nectar contains 24% sugar , mainly sucrose , and each individual flower produces an average of 0.12 mg of sugar per day ( sugar value ). The heather honey obtained by the bees from their nectar is characterized by a gelatinous consistency.

Common heather is recommended for wild plant gardens and suitable for greening sandy slopes. It is also a popular ornamental plant which is cultivated as "Calluna (heather)" or "Summer heather" in around 10,000 varieties with very different flowering times and colors of the flowers and leaves. Cultivars include 'Beoley Crimson' (carmine red flowers), 'Boskoop' (light purple), 'Cuprea' (copper-colored), 'Firefly' (dark purple) and 'Long White' (white). “Bud blooming” Calluna varieties are also popular, whose permanently closed buds simulate a long-lasting, intensely colored bloom, and whose buds are frost-hardy in contrast to the bloom. These "budding heaths" are sterile and not suitable as insect pastures.

The common heather is used to clad the ridge of thatched roofs. Due to its very long durability outdoors, it is also tied together to form visual, wind and noise protection elements. Common heather defies all weather conditions and therefore remains stable for many years.

Common names

The other German-language trivial names exist or existed for Besenheide : Bäsareis ( St. Gallen near Werdenberg ), Besenhaide ( Bern ), Bessenheide ( East Friesland , Schleswig-Holstein ), Bienenheide, Brandheide ( Weser ), Brauch (Bern), Bruttreue ( Lüchow near Salzwedel ), Breinbart ( Bavaria ), Breusch ( Switzerland around Solothurn ), Brüch (St. Gallen near Sargans ), Brüsch (Bern, St. Gallen), Bruch (Bern), Brui ( Graubünden near Oberhalbstein ), Brusch, Bultheide ( Unterweser near Hudemühl ), Doppheide (East Friesland), Eyden ( Middle High German ), Gaisbrüsch (St. Gallen), Genst ( Tübingen ), Rote Grampen ( Tyrol ), Haadach ( Carinthia ), Haid ( Holstein , Middle High German), Haide (Holstein, Middle High German), Heede ( Osnabrück ), Heen (Osnabrück), Hei ( Altmark ), Heid ( Northern Germany ), Heide ( Old High German ), Heidache (Old High German), Heidahi (Old High German), Heide ( Hanover to Pomerania ), Heidekraut (Hanover to Pomerania ), Heiderer ( Austria ), Heie (Hanover) He ude (Middle High German), Hey (Middle High German), Heyde (Middle High German), Hoadach (Tyrol), Krankrebbe (Austria), Monsee, Nivuihtholz (Old High German), Plaggen, Prisi (St. Gallen near Obertoggenburg ), Prog (St. Gallen near Werdenberg), Rehheide, Ruchabruch (St. Gallen in the Rhine Valley ), Sefi ( Appenzell , St. Gallen), Sevi (Appenzell, St. Gallen), Sendach (Carinthia), Senden ( Tyrol), mustards ( Allgäu ), Sör (Appenzell near Walzenhausen ), ray grass and pine myrtle ( Bernese Oberland ).

history

swell

Gart der Gesundheit 1485 --- Hieronymus Brunschwig 1500 --- Leonhart Fuchs 1543 --- Hieronymus Bock 1546 --- Mattioli / Handsch / Camerarius 1586 --- Nicolas Lémery 1699/1721

See also

literature

  • Heinz Ellenberg : Vegetation of Central Europe with the Alps from an ecological point of view. 4th, improved edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-8001-3430-6 .
  • Otto Isaac. Calluna . In: Rudolf Hänsel , K. Keller, H. Rimpler and G. Schneider (Eds.) Hager's Handbook of Pharmaceutical Practice . 5th edition, Springer, Volume 4 drugs AD Berlin etc. 1992, pp. 617-621 ISBN 3-540-52631-5
  • Ruprecht Düll , Herfried Kutzelnigg : Pocket dictionary of plants in Germany and neighboring countries. The most common Central European species in portrait . 7th, corrected and enlarged edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1 .
  • Richard Pott : The plant communities in Germany. 2nd Edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8252-8067-5 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Eckehart J. Jäger, Friedrich Ebel, Peter Hanelt, Gerd K. Müller (eds.): Exkursionsflora von Deutschland . Founded by Werner Rothmaler. tape 5 : Herbaceous ornamental and useful plants . Springer, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-8274-0918-8 .
  2. ↑ Calluna vulgaris at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
  3. ↑ a b Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp. 734 .
  4. ↑ Heather as bumblebee medicine - Wissenschaft.de . In: Wissenschaft.de . October 11, 2019 ( Wissenschaft.de [accessed October 11, 2019]).
  5. ↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 2, IHW, Eching 2004, ISBN 3-930167-61-1 , p. 301.
  6. ↑ Calluna vulgaris at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed August 18, 2015.
  7. ↑ Calluna vulgaris in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  8. ↑ Helmut Horn, Cord Lüllmann: The great honey book . 3rd edition Kosmos, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-440-10838-4 , p. 30.
  9. ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, page 143 ( online ).
  10. ↑ Gart der Gesundheit . Mainz 1485, chapter 264: Mirica, heyde (digitized version )
  11. ↑ Hieronymus Brunschwig . Small distilling book , Strasbourg 1500, sheet 59r: Heid (digital copy )
  12. ↑ Leonhart Fuchs . New Kreütterbuch… Michael Isingrin, Basel 1543, Chapter 95 (digitized version)
  13. ↑ Pedanios Dioscurides . 1st century De Medicinali Materia libri quinque. Translation. Julius Berendes . Pedanius Dioscurides' medicine theory in 5 books. Enke, Stuttgart 1902, p. 106 (Book I, Chapter 117): (Digitalisat) . Galen , 2nd century De simplicium medicamentorum temperamentis ac facutatibus , Book VI, Chapter V / 19 (based on the Kühn 1826 edition, Volume XI, p. 877): De Erice (digitized version)
  14. ↑ Hieronymus Bock . New Kreütter Bůch . Wendel Rihel, Strasbourg 1546, Part III, Chapter 4 (digitized version)
  15. ^ Pietro Andrea Mattioli : Commentarii, in libros sex Pedacii Dioscoridis Anazarbei, de medica materia. Translation by Georg Handsch, edited by Joachim Camerarius the Younger , Johan Feyerabend, Franckfurt am Mayn 1586, sheet 43r – v: Heyde (digitized)
  16. ↑ Nicolas Lémery  : Dictionnaire universel des drogues simples. , Paris 1699, p. 285: Erica (digitized version) ; Translation. Complete material lexicon. Initially designed in French, but now after the third edition, enlarged by a large one [...] translated into High German / by Christoph Friedrich Richtern, [...]. Leipzig: Johann Friedrich Braun, 1721, Sp. 432: Erica (digitized)

Web links

Commons : Common heather ( Calluna vulgaris )  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Besenheide  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations