Spring hornwort

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Spring hornwort
Common hornwort (Cerastium fontanum subsp. Vulgare), flower

Common hornwort ( Cerastium fontanum subsp. Vulgare ), flower

Systematics
Nuclear eudicotyledons
Order : Clove-like (Caryophyllales)
Family : Carnation family (Caryophyllaceae)
Subfamily : Alsinoideae
Genre : Horn herbs ( Cerastium )
Type : Spring hornwort
Scientific name
Cerastium fontanum
Baumg.
Common hornwort ( Cerastium fontanum subsp. Vulgare ) - habitus
Common hornwort ( Cerastium fontanum subsp. Vulgare ) - The stem is hairy, densely spaced
Common hornwort ( Cerastium fontanum subsp. Vulgare ) - stems with sessile leaves
Common hornwort ( Cerastium fontanum subsp. Vulgare ) - At least the upper bracts have a skin edge
Common hornwort ( Cerastium fontanum subsp. Vulgare ) - The fruit is strongly curved
Common hornwort ( Cerastium fontanum subsp. Vulgare ) - seeds

The spring hornwort ( Cerastium fontanum ) is a species of hornwort ( Cerastium ) within the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae). There are several subspecies.

Description of common hornwort ( Cerastium fontanum subsp. Vulgare )

Vegetative characteristics

Common hornwort is a perennial herbaceous plant that overwintered green ; it reaches heights of growth of 5 to 50 centimeters. In addition to a taproot, it forms a branched root system, from which plant balls up to 40 centimeters in diameter often develop through root shoots. Rising, densely leafed , dark green stems with about 0.5 millimeter long glandular hairs branch out from the base . The non-flowering stems are much shorter than the flowering ones.

The elongated, ovate, bluntly pointed leaves are short haired and sit on the stem. The leaves on the flowerless stems are 7 to 25 mm long and 2 to 10 millimeters wide, while the leaves on the flowering stems are up to four inches long and 15 mm wide. They are usually close-fitting, arranged in a cross-shaped opposite on the stem. The lower leaves are herbaceous, and the upper ones usually have a narrow skin margin.

Generative characteristics

The crowded, crown-shaped inflorescences (umbels) consist of a few to many flowers. The petals of the flowers are only slightly longer than the three to seven millimeters long sepals. The flower has five white two-part petals, ten stamens and five styles. The entire plant is hairy up to the sepals and blooms throughout the growing season from March to October.

The cylindrical, strongly curved ten-crowned capsule fruit is up to 12 millimeters long and contains red-brown 0.4 to 0.5 mm large, mostly oyster-shaped seeds.

Ecology of common hornwort ( Cerastium fontanum subsp. Vulgare )

Common hornwort is mostly a chamaephyte .

The pollinators are mostly just flies . The flowering period extends from March to October. The flower stalks are bent down after flowering, but as fruit stalks they stand upright again. Common hornwort is a wind and animal spreader.

Occurrence of common hornwort ( Cerastium fontanum subsp. Vulgare )

According to the ecological indicator values ​​according to Ellenberg , the species points to evenly medium-moist, moderately nitrogen-rich soils. It is able to tolerate slightly salty soils with a chloride content of less than 0.1%.

The common hornwort "pursues the strategy" of establishing itself as a pioneer plant on fallow land .

Systematics

The species Cerastium fontanum has the following subspecies (selection):

  • Spring hornwort ( Cerastium fontanum Baumg. Subsp. Fontanum ): It occurs in the Alps at altitudes of 1400 to 2500 meters. It has the chromosome number 2n = 144.
  • Large-fruited hornwort ( Cerastium fontanum subsp. Lucorum (Schur) Soó , Syn .: Cerastium lucorum (Schur) Möschl ): It occurs on the banks of streams, in partially shaded alder floodplain and swamp forests. It has the chromosome number 2n = 144. In the Allgäu Alps, it rises in Bavaria between Spielmannsau and Sperrbachtobel to an altitude of about 1200 meters.
  • Common chickweed ( Cerastium fontanum subsp. Vulgare (Hartm.) Greuter & Burdet , Syn .: Cerastium viscosum L. , Cerastium vulgatum L. , Cerastium vulgare Hartm. , Cerastium trivial link , Cerastium caespitosum Asch. , Cerastium fontanum subsp. Trivial (Spenn .) Jalas , Cerastium holosteoides Fr. , Cerastium holosteoides var. Vulgare (Hartm.) Hyl. ) It has the chromosome number 2n = 126 or 144. It thrives from the plains to the mountains, but needs sunny to partially shaded moist places. In the Allgäu Alps, near the summit of the Kastenkopf in Bavaria , it rises to an altitude of around 2100 meters. Common hornwort is found all over the world. It can be found on rich (loamy) meadows, in sparse forests, on the edges of forests and on fallow land. In Central Europe it is a species of character of the class Molinio-Arrhenatheretea, which occurs mainly in Arrhenatheretalia societies.

Sources and further information

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ruprecht Düll , Herfried Kutzelnigg : Pocket dictionary of the plants of 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 .
  2. ↑ a b c d Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas. 8th edition, page 377. Stuttgart, Verlag Eugen Ulmer, 2001. ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 . Page 377.
  3. ↑ a b Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 1, IHW, Eching 2001, ISBN 3-930167-50-6 , pp. 498-499.
  4. ↑ Cerastium fontanum subsp. vulgare at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis

Web links

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