Creeping Restharrow

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Creeping Restharrow
Creeping Restharrow (Ononis repens)

Creeping Restharrow ( Ononis repens )

Systematics
Eurosiden I
Order : Fabales (Fabales)
Family : Legumes (Fabaceae)
Subfamily : Butterflies (Faboideae)
Genre : Restockers ( Ononis )
Type : Creeping Restharrow
Scientific name
Ononis repens
L.

The Restharrow ( Ononis repens ) is a plant type from the genus of ononis belonging to the pea family belongs (Faboideae).

description

The species is a perennial , herbaceous to woody plant that usually reaches heights of between 30 and 60 cm. The stem grows runners-prostrate to ascending. The ascending side branches have little or no soft thorns. The stem is glandular and downy all around and scattered with shaggy hair. The leaflets of the threefold leaves are about 7 to 22 mm long, egg-shaped and usually rounded at the front or with margins. They are hairy and serrate on the edge. The pink-red, axillary flowers are almost always individually in a loose overall inflorescence. The calyx is glandular and has long, horizontally protruding hairs at the base. The pods are shorter than the chalice.

The Creeping Restharrow blooms mainly in June and July.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 30, 32, 60 or 64.

Locations and distribution

The species grows in semi-arid grassland communities such as dry pastures. It mostly prefers nutrient-rich loam and limestone soils.

The Creeping Restharrow occurs from temperate Europe over the Pyrenees to Morocco. To the east it penetrates to western Poland and Macedonia. It is a subatlantic-sub-Mediterranean floral element.

In Germany the Creeping Restharrow is common and mostly to be found. Only in north-west Germany is it partly missing over longer stretches. In Austria the species occurs absent-mindedly to rarely and is classified as endangered, while it is found quite frequently in Switzerland.

Taxonomy

Due to hybrids, especially with the thorny Restharrow ( Ononis spinosa ), it is often difficult to identify individual specimens, as there is a large variety of shapes. For the sake of simplicity, the two species are therefore occasionally combined into a “species group Ononis spinosa agg.”. The extraordinary wealth of shapes is further increased by the fact that factors such as season, fertilization, grazing or mowing can contribute to a completely different appearance of the species.

A final taxonomic assessment of the entire complex of forms is still pending. There are currently two subspecies of the Creeping Restharrow:

  • On the one hand, the widespread Ononis repens ssp. procurrens (Common Creeping Restharrow).
  • In addition, the Ononis repens ssp, which may occur in Lower Saxony . repens (dune grouse), which differs among other things in its smaller flowers.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . 8th edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 . Page 585.

Web links

Commons : Creeping Pickaxes  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files