Tall sweet clover

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tall sweet clover
High sweet clover (Melilotus altissimus)

High sweet clover ( Melilotus altissimus )

Systematics
Eurosiden I
Order : Fabales (Fabales)
Family : Legumes (Fabaceae)
Subfamily : Butterflies (Faboideae)
Genre : Sweet clover ( Melilotus )
Type : Tall sweet clover
Scientific name
Melilotus altissimus
Thuill.

The high sweet clover ( Melilotus altissimus , syn .: Melilotus altissima ) is a faboid family (Faboideae) of the genus Melilotus that occurs in Central Europe .

description

Flower: the wings are about as long as the boat.
The fruits are scattered hairy.
Details of the inflorescence
Stem with stipules

The high sweet clover is a biennial plant . The herbaceous , branched stem is upright or arching and usually reaches a height of 60 to 125 cm. The leaves are obovate to oblong-wedge-shaped and toothed on the edge. The stipules are entire or - in the middle and lower ones - provided with a tooth.

The flowers grow in two to six cm high clusters . The crown is yellow, five to eight mm long, with the wing and the shuttle about as long as the flag. The pod is egg-shaped, briefly pointed and more or less nervous. It is pubescent and usually contains two to three seeds.

The high sweet clover blooms mainly in the months of July to September.

The species has chromosome number 2n = 16.

Occurrence and distribution

The species grows in rubble weed communities, on salt pastures and in riparian communities. It prefers calcareous and nitrogenous, often salty, changeable soils. It is characteristic of the population in the Cuscuto-Convolvuletum from the Senecion fluviatilis association, but also occurs in companies of the Onopordion association. Melilotus altissimus occurs from temperate Europe to Siberia, the Altai and Japan. It is a Eurasian-continental floral element. In the Allgäu Alps, it rises in the Tyrolean part of the Hahnenkamm to an altitude of 1,800 meters.

In Germany the high sweet clover grows scattered, but is also widespread in certain areas. In Austria the species is considered "endangered" and can be found scattered or very rarely, while in Switzerland it is quite common.

Similar species

The high sweet clover can easily be confused with the common sweet clover ( Melilotus officinalis ). However, this has bare fruits and a boat that is usually much shorter than the wings.

literature

  • Henning Haeupler , Thomas Muer: picture atlas of the fern and flowering plants of Germany (= the fern and flowering plants of Germany. Volume 2). Published by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. Ulmer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3364-4 .
  • Manfred A. Fischer, Wolfgang Adler, Karl Oswald: Excursion flora from Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol. Identification book for all in the Republic of Austria, in the Autonomous Province of Bozen / South Tyrol (Italy) growing wild as well as the most important cultivated vascular plants . 2nd edition Land Upper Austria, Biology Center of the Upper Austrian State Museums, Linz 2005, 1392 pp. ISBN 3-85474-140-5 (former title: Exkursionsflora von Österreich ).
  • August Binz , Christian Heitz: School and excursion flora for Switzerland. Taking into account the border areas . Schwabe, Basel 1986, ISBN 3-7965-0832-4 .
  • Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora . 6th edition Ulmer, Stuttgart 1990, ISBN 3-8001-3454-3 .
  • Christian August Friedrich Garcke (founder), Konrad Weihe (ed.): Illustrated flora. Germany and neighboring areas . 23rd edition Paul Parey, Berlin 1972, ISBN 3-489-68034-0 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 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.  586 .
  2. ↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 2, IHW, Eching 2004, ISBN 3-930167-61-1 , p. 122.

Web links

Commons : High Sweet Clover  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files