Ordinary cat paw

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Ordinary cat paw
Common cat paw (Antennaria dioica)

Common cat paw ( Antennaria dioica )

Systematics
Order : Astern-like (Asterales)
Family : Daisy family (Asteraceae)
Subfamily : Asteroideae
Tribe : Gnaphalieae
Genre : Cat's paw ( Antennaria )
Type : Ordinary cat paw
Scientific name
Antennaria dioica
(L.) Gaertn.

The Ordinary Katzenpfötchen ( Antennaria dioica ), also common-Katzenpfötchen or Zweihäusiges Katzenpfötchen called, is a species within the family of Compositae (Asteraceae). It is common in Eurasia .

description

illustration
Whole inflorescence with flower heads
Habitus

Vegetative characteristics

The common cat's paw grows as an evergreen, perennial herbaceous plant and reaches heights of about 5 to 20 cm (up to 30 cm). The leaf rosette is formed in the first year, the plant is capable of flowering from the second year. It develops above-ground, 2 to 5 cm long runners . The rosettes often form dense mats over the leafy runners.

The leaves are arranged in rosettes and distributed on the stem. The stalked, simple, one-nerved basal leaves have a length of 3 and 18 mm and a width of 3 to 6 mm spatulate or diamond-spatulate leaf blades. The sessile stem leaves are linear-lanceolate with a length of 7 to 13 mm. The leaves are bald on top to more or less glabrous, and hairy, woolly and tomentose underneath. The hair on the stem axis and the leaves is interpreted as protection against perspiration .

Generative characteristics

The flowering period extends from May to July. The common cat's paw is incompletely dioecious, dioecious and gendered . In a terminal total inflorescence that is clustered in a cerebral cone, there are three to twelve cup-shaped partial inflorescences with a diameter of 5 to 8 mm. The female cups have elongated or lanceolate, pink to purple bracts with pointed upper ends. The male cups have broad, whitish to pink bracts with blunt upper ends. The bracts have in male, rarely in female specimens whitish or in female specimens pink to dark red appendages. Some of the cups have female flowers with multi-row pappus , the others with apparently hermaphroditic flowers (styles are present, but the ovaries are sterile) with single-row pappus.

The achenes have a pappus .

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 28.

ecology

The common cat's paw is sometimes a cushion-forming chamaephyte or hemicryptophyte in terms of its life form . Reproduction from seeds and vegetative propagation are equally important for spread. The latter is ensured by above-ground, leafy runners that take root at the tip . In the first year they produce a rosette of leaves, and in the next year a stem axis emerges from this.

The achenes with pappus are subject to the spread of wind as umbrella fliers. The dry-skinned bracts are hygroscopic and only spread apart in dry weather. The fruit ripening begins in August. The common cat's paw is a cold germ .

The "cup flowers" are incompletely dioecious d. H. there are male plant specimens with sterile ovaries. The stamens are irritable, they bend when touched and pull the stamen tube down so that the pollen is "pumped out" by the stationary stylus; this is an example of thigmonastia . Pollinators are butterflies .

Occurrence and endangerment

The common cat's paw is widespread in Eurasia, in southern Europe only in the mountains. Low -lime, sandy loam soils , such as those found on silicate grasslands , heaths and in pine forests, are preferred as locations . The common cat's paw rises to altitudes of 2400 meters, whereby the subalpine to alpine altitudes are primarily populated. In the plain, the stock is considered to be declining. The common cat's paw is considered an acid pointer. It is a character species of the order Nardetalia, but occurs less frequently in societies of the Genistion pilosae, Cytiso-Pinion, Erico-Pinion, Mesobromion or Molinion associations.

In the Allgäu Alps, it rises on the southeast ridge of the Höfats in Bavaria up to 2100 m above sea level.

In Austria , the common cat's paw is found in all federal states. In Switzerland , this species is common in the Alps and the Central Plateau.

In Germany, the common cat's paw is considered endangered (level 3+ of the Red List ), in some federal states even as endangered or threatened with extinction. The cause of this is the eutrophication of the soil through emissions and fertilizers.

The variety 'Minima'

Others

Because of the flowering time it is called "Himmelfahrtsblümchen" in Swabia, because it blooms around the time of Ascension Day, i.e. 10 days before Pentecost, is tied in a wreath on this day and then hung in the house as lightning protection. Recently, this species has also been increasingly offered in wildflower seeds. It is well suited for wild plant gardens.

The plant drug is popular as a remedy for bronchitis and biliary disorders used. However, the effectiveness has not been proven.

literature

  • Xaver Finkenzeller, Jürke Grau: Alpine flowers. Recognize and determine (=  Steinbach's natural guide ). Mosaik, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-576-11482-3 .
  • Dankwart Seidel: Flowers. Determine accurately with the 3-check. 2nd, revised edition. blv, Munich / Vienna / Zurich 2001, ISBN 3-405-15766-8 .

Web links

Commons : Common Cat's Paw  album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Data sheet at Botanik im Bild / Flora von Österreich .
  2. ↑ Data sheet from Robert Flogaus-Faust.
  3. ↑ a b c Ordinary cat paw. In: FloraWeb.de.
  4. ↑ a b c d e 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 .
  5. ↑ a b Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas. 8th edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , p. 918.
  6. ↑ Biolflor. Database of biological-ecological characteristics of the flora of Germany. Antennaria dioica (L.) Gaertn. .
  7. ↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 2, IHW, Eching 2004, ISBN 3-930167-61-1 , p. 581.
  8. ^ Gerhard Wagenitz : Family Compositae . In Gustav Hegi : Illustrated Flora of Central Europe. 2nd Edition. Volume VI, Part 3, Verlag Paul Parey, Berlin / Hamburg 1979, ISBN 3-489-84020-8 , p. 129.
  9. ↑ Entry in the medicinal plant lexicon www.awl.ch.