Danish spoonweed

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Danish spoonweed
Drawing of the Danish spoonbill

Drawing of the Danish spoonbill

Systematics
Eurosiden II
Order : Cruciferous (Brassicales)
Family : Cruciferous vegetables (Brassicaceae)
Tribe : Cochlearieae
Genre : Spoonweed ( Cochlearia )
Type : Danish spoonweed
Scientific name
Cochlearia danica
L.

The Danish spoonweed ( Cochlearia danica ) is a species of the cruciferous family (Brassicaceae). Like English spoonweed , it is one of the first plants to flower in April or May in the harsh climate of the mud flats and salt marshes.

description

Danish spoonbill blossom

The biennial herbaceous plant is quite small and compact with heights of only 10 to 20 cm. This genus got its name from the shape of its fleshy leaves. The triangular to heart-shaped, almost entire basal leaves are about 1 cm long and just as wide. Because of the short flowering time, the basal leaves are the most important feature for identification. The lower to middle stem leaves are stalked and three- to seven-lobed (ivy-like). The uppermost leaves are sessile without auricles surrounding the stem.

In the short flowering period in April and May, the hermaphroditic, four-fold flowers are clustered at the ends of the stems. The white petals are between 2.5 and 4.5 mm long.

Egg-shaped to rounded pods with a size of 4 to 6 mm are formed.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 42.

ecology

The Danish spoonbill is a halophyte , which means that it grows when the salt content in the soil reaches a certain level. If the salt content (low to moderate) exceeds 0.5% in the soil, it stops growing. Its protection against excessive salinity consists in shedding old salty leaves. That is why the lower leaves of its base rosette are always yellowed and dead.

In the pods, seeds ripen by August at the latest and the plant dies. But already in September a new generation germinates and forms strong leaf rosettes. The overwintering as a nearly adult plant allows the Danish spoonbill to bloom early from April, when the grass is not yet tall enough to take away the sunlight.

The pollination is via self- or insect pollination .

This species is light-loving and indicates a temperate maritime climate. Their location suggests slightly drained sandy or gravelly, often flooded soils.

This species spreads through animals ( Velcro spread ), through self- spread and wind spread .

Typical leaf shape
Habitus in the habitat

Occurrence

The Danish spoonbill is native to Europe on the coasts of the Atlantic, North and Baltic Seas from Spain to Finland. From around 1980 it made its way inland, following the course of the motorways. As a salt-tolerant species, the Danish spoonbill benefits from the winter road salt use, which leads to salinisation of the soil at the edges of the road. The species grows precisely on these marginal strips, which are often only a few decimetres wide, soaked by meltwater, and it is only in these special locations that the species can compete with the native flora. The Danish spoonbill is no longer restricted to motorways, but also grows on many other roadsides. However, the preferred growth locations are still frequently used road sections where salt is often spread.

In the coastal area it usually grows on poor soil, which gives it an advantage over other plants. It usually grows on the banks of the mudflats and in the salt marshes, but it can also be found on the edges of rocks, where the salty wind largely compensates for the lack of flooding. On the coast it is a character species of the Sagino-Cochlearietum danicae from the Saginion maritimae association.

use

Bitter substances and, to a large extent, vitamin C are known as ingredients of Danish spoonbill .

The leaves of the Danish spoonbill can be used raw or cooked as a flavoring in salads. It has a pungent mustard-like taste that is not for everyone. It should be superior to the real spoonbill . Spoonweed contains a lot of vitamin C and was therefore salted in on sailing ships, where fresh vegetables were completely lacking, as protection against the vitamin deficiency disease scurvy .

Sources and further information

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Georg Quedens : Beach and Wadden Sea. Animals and plants on the North and Baltic Seas , BLV Naturführer, Munich, Vienna, Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-405-15108-2
  2. ^ Cochlearia danica at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
  3. ↑ Michaela Mayer: //www.unreal-world.de/school/files/wattwatze/ Pflanzen.loeffelkraut.htm © 2007 by MLS - BiologieLK Winter, accessed January 2, 2007 (no longer accessible)
  4. ↑ Karol Marhold, 2011: Brassicaceae : Datasheet Cochlearia In: Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity.
  5. ^ Thomas Breunig: Institute for Botany and Landscape Science Karlsruhe , accessed January 2, 2008
  6. ↑ For distribution in Germany. (German)
  7. ^ 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.  452 .

Web links

Commons : Danish spoonweed ( Cochlearia danica )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files