Alpine balm

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Alpine balm
Alpine balm (Erinus alpinus)

Alpine balm ( Erinus alpinus )

Systematics
Euasterids I
Order : Mint family (Lamiales)
Family : Plantain family (Plantaginaceae)
Tribe : Digitalideae
Genre : Erinus
Type : Alpine balm
Scientific name
Erinus alpinus
L.

The alpine balm ( Erinus alpinus ) is one of the two plant species of the genus Erinus within the plantain family (Plantaginaceae). Other common names for the Alpine stone balm are stone balm, alpine liver balm or, misleadingly, liver balm, because this is what the usually blue-flowered bedding plant Ageratum houstonianum is called.

Description of the alpine balm

Illustration from Atlas of Alpine Flora
Habit, leaves and inflorescences

Vegetative characteristics

The alpine balm grows as a perennial herbaceous plant in loose grass and reaches heights of 5 to 20 centimeters.

Arranged in basal rosette leaves are stalked, but the most Stem alternate arranged distributed leaves are sessile. With a length of up to 2 centimeters, the stem leaves are spatulate, coarse and hairy.

Generative characteristics

The flowering period extends from June to July. In the uppermost leaf axils there are 10 to 15 flowers together in initially dold-like inflorescences . During the anthesis , however, the inflorescence axis stretches. Of the lanceolate bracts , the lowest are leaf-like, the others are smaller and have entire margins. The flower stalk is about as long as the calyx.

The hermaphroditic flowers have a double flower envelope . The five sepals are only fused at their base. The red-purple, rarely white corolla is up to 10 millimeters long. The flat funnel-shaped coronet is double-lipped with five corolla lobes. The 5 millimeter long corolla tube has short hairs on the outside and inside. The stamens are inserted in the corolla about halfway up, the two rear above the two front. The bare stamens are only about half as long as the anthers. They are kneeled forwards below the connective and twisted 90 degrees so that they stick out horizontally. The ovary is bare. The scar is very heady.

The fruit is as long as the calyx. The seeds are 0.6 to 0.8 millimeters long, brown and shiny.

The number of chromosomes for Erinus alpinus is 2n = 14.

Systematics

The genus Erinus includes two species:

  • Alpine balm ( Erinus alpinus L. )
  • Erinus thiabaudii Jahand. & Maire : It occurs in Morocco.

Occurrence of the alpine balm

The alpine balm ( Erinus alpinus ) occurs from the Pyrenees over the Alps to the Apennines and also in Morocco and Algeria . It is widespread in the western and central limestone Alps . Occasionally, the alpine balm is naturalized on damp masonry outside the Alps. In Austria the alpine balm has died out autochthonously ; former distribution area was Vorarlberg and North Tyrol.

This lime-loving species thrives best in stony lawns and on slopes, scree and rocks. In terms of plant sociology, it belongs to the Potentillion caulescentis association , but it also occurs in plant societies of the order Seslerietalia albicantis.

literature

  • Xaver Finkenzeller, Jürke Grau: Alpine flowers. Recognize and determine (=  Steinbach's natural guide ). Mosaik, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-576-11482-3 .
  • Manfred A. Fischer, Wolfgang Adler, Karl Oswald: Excursion flora for Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol . 2nd, improved and enlarged edition. State of Upper Austria, Biology Center of the Upper Austrian State Museums, Linz 2005, ISBN 3-85474-140-5 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Dimitri Hartl: Scrophulariaceae. In: Dimitri Hartl, Gerhard Wagenitz (Hrsg.): Illustrated flora of Central Europe. Pteridophyta, Spermatophyta . Founded by Gustav Hegi. 2nd, completely revised edition. Volume VI. Part 1: Angiospermae: Dicotyledones 4 (1) (Scrophulariaceae - Plantaginaceae) . Carl Hanser and Paul Parey, Munich and Berlin / Hamburg 1974, ISBN 3-446-10471-2 , pp. 136–140 (published in deliveries 1965–1974).
  2. ↑ 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.  845 .
  3. ↑ a b Karol Marhold, 2011+: Plantaginaceae : data sheet Erinus In: Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity.
  4. ↑ Erinus in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved December 16, 2017.

Web links

Commons : Alpenbalsam ( Erinus alpinus )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files