Spotted horn clover
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Spotted horn clover ( lotus maculatus ) |
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| Breitf. |
The spotted birdsfoot trefoil ( Lotus maculatus ) by gardeners simply Lotus (possible confusion Lotus called), belongs to the genus foot trefoil ( Lotus ) in the subfamily of the Pea family (Faboideae) within the family of legumes (Fabaceae). Maculatus means "spotted".
Plant description
The spotted horn clover is a creeping, perennial herbaceous plant that reaches heights of between 10 and 20 cm. It blooms from February to August with yellow, orange and brown flowers . It has slightly tomentose hairy stems and silvery, needle-shaped pinnate leaves. The Canary Horn Clover ( Lotus berthelotii ), which is also endemic to Tenerife, has orange-red to scarlet flowers.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 28.
ecology
The spotted horn clover shows clear features of ornithogamy (bird pollination). It was probably pollinated by nectar birds earlier . Today only the Canary Chiffchaff ( Phylloscopus collybita canariensis ) pollinates it .
Occurrence and protection
This plant species is endemic to Tenerife , it occurs on coastal rocks and is very rare. The only known population is in the Costa de Acentejo nature reserve on the coast of El Sauzal . It consists of fewer than 30 plants and its habitat is exposed to strong anthropogenic pressure. The Plan de Recuperación del picopaloma tries to grow new plants by cuttings in order to increase the number of individuals and to preserve genetic diversity.
Taxonomy
Lotus maculatus was first described by the German botanist Charlotte Breitfeld (1902– around 2003), who collected flowering and fruiting material in March and September 1971 on Tenerife . By defining these two collections as a type, however, the name was invalid. This was not corrected until 2008 by the British botanist Nicholas Hind , who retained the original authorship of the name.
Ornamental plant
The spotted horn clover is also used as an ornamental plant for patios and balconies because of its striking flowers, its silvery leaves and its pendulous habit . For a bedding and balcony plant, however, the species and varieties have a relatively short flowering time, so the structure and color of the leaves are what counts for this species. In order to achieve a rich flowering, the plants should overwinter frost-free at temperatures below + 12 degrees Celsius.
variety
- 'Gold Flame' with golden yellow to orange flowers.
literature
- Peter Schönfelder , Ingrid Schönfelder: The Kosmos-Canary Islands flora. Over 850 species of the Canary Islands flora and 48 tropical ornamental trees (= Kosmos nature guide ). Kosmos, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-440-06037-3 , p. 124.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lotus maculatus at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ Ornithogamy. In: Lexicon of Biology. Spectrum of Science, 1999, accessed March 14, 2015 .
- ↑ Plan de Recuperación del picopaloma, Lotus berthelotii, y pico de El Sauzal, Lotus maculatus. In: Sistem de información medioambiental de canarias. Gobierno de Canarias, accessed March 14, 2015 .
- ↑ Walter Erhardt, Erich Götz, Nils Bödeker, Siegmund Seybold: The great zander. Encyclopedia of Plant Names. Volume 2. Types and varieties. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2008, ISBN 978-3-8001-5406-7 , p. 1893.
- ↑ Charlotte Breitfeld: Lotus maculatus, a previously undescribed species from Tenerife. In: Cuadernos de botánica Canaria. Volume 17, 1973, pp. 27-31 ( online ) (first description: p. 27).
- ↑ Nicholas Hind: 619. Lotus maculatus. Leguminosae - Papilionoidae. Plant in Peril 30. In: Curtis' Botanical Magazine. Volume 25, No. 2, 2008, pp. 146-157, t. 619, DOI: 10.1111 / j.1467-8748.2008.00613.x (validation of the name: p. 154).
