Bitter finial

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Bitter finial
Bitter finial (Polygala amara subsp.brachyptera)

Bitter finial ( Polygala amara subsp. Brachyptera )

Systematics
Rosids
Eurosiden I
Order : Fabales (Fabales)
Family : Finial family (Polygalaceae)
Genre : Finials ( polygala )
Type : Bitter finial
Scientific name
Polygala amara
L.

The bitterness finial ( Polygala amara ), popularly also Bitter Ramsel or blue flower milk is a plant from the genus finials ( Polygala ) within the family of polygalaceae (Polygalaceae). The two subspecies thrive in the mountains of Central and Eastern to Southeastern Europe .

description

Habit, leaves and inflorescences
Inflorescences with zygomorphic flowers with different flower colors

Vegetative characteristics

The bitter finial is a perennial, herbaceous plant and reaches heights of 5 to 20 centimeters. The upright or ascending stems arise in large numbers from the center of a basal rosette of leaves .

The simple leaves are herbaceous. The rosette leaves taste bitter. The alternately arranged stem leaves are broadest in the middle and pointed at the end.

Generative characteristics

The flowering period extends from May to August. The usually single and terminally standing, racemose inflorescence contains 8 to 25, rarely up to 40 flowers. The bracts are 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters long, and as long or slightly longer than the pedicel.

The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic with a double flower envelope . The bloom cladding sheets are usually deep blue to purple or pink, rarely white. The outer sepals are over 3 millimeters long; the wings are seldom 4.5 to, usually 5 to 8.5 millimeters long, and rarely 1.8 to, usually 2 to 5.5 millimeters wide. The nerves of the wings are not very branched and are not connected to the median nerve at the upper end. At fruit time they form zero to four meshes. The corolla is 3.5 to 6.5, rarely up to 8 millimeters long and is clearly divided into a tube, keel and appendage. The petal appendages have 12 to 35 fringes.

The capsule fruit is 3.5 to 5.5 millimeters long and 3.5 to 4.5 millimeters wide. It has a 0.2 to 0.3 millimeter wide margin that is as wide or a little wider than the wings. The seeds are 2.1 to 2.8 millimeters long. The seed appendages ( elaiosomes ) are hairy like the seed and have lobes of unequal length.

Sets of chromosomes

The basic chromosome number is x = 14 or 17; there is diploidy with a chromosome number in both subspecies of 2n = 28 or 34.

ecology

From an ecological point of view, these are flowers with completely hidden nectar . The pollination is done by insects or self-pollination .

The bitter finial is a wind spreader ( anemochory ), the scattered seeds are spread by ants .

Occurrence

The bitter finial grows on stone lawns, in sparse pine forests and in spring meadows. It thrives best in moderately dry to moist, calcareous soils . The occurrences range from the (colline) montane to subalpine (alpine) altitude . The bitter finial rises in the Alps to an altitude of 2200 meters.

Polygala amara is a character species of the order of the blue grass grass (Seslerietalia albicantis). The subspecies Polygala amara subsp. brachyptera also occurs in plant communities of the Mesobromion association.

Systematics and distribution

Polygala amara was first published in 1759 by Carl von Linné in Systema Naturae , Editio Decima, Tomus 2, page 1154. The specific epithet amara means "bitter".

The two subspecies thrive in the mountains of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe .

Of Polygala amara there are about two subspecies:

  • Polygala amara L. subsp. amara : It is widespread in the Eastern Alps, Carpathians, and Balkans. It occurs in the Western Carpathians, in the Eastern Alps , in Hungary and in the former Yugoslavia .
  • Short-leaf milkwort ( Polygala amara subsp. Brachyptera (Chodat) Hayek , Syn .: Polygala amblyptera Rchb. , Polygala subamara R.M.Fritsch , Polygala amarella subsp. Amblyptera (Koch) Janch. ): It comes in the Carpathian Mountains , in southern Poland and in a few Sites in the Southeast Alps .

Receipts and further information

literature

  • Manfred A. Fischer, Wolfgang Adler, Karl Oswald: Excursion flora for Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol . 2nd, improved and enlarged edition. State of Upper Austria, Biology Center of the Upper Austrian State Museums, Linz 2005, ISBN 3-85474-140-5 .
  • Siegmund Seybold (Ed.): Schmeil-Fitschen interactive . CD-ROM, version 1.1. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2002, ISBN 3-494-01327-6 .
  • TG Tutin, VH Heywood, NA Burges, DM Moore, DH Valentine, SM Walters, DA Webb (Eds.): Flora Europaea . Volume 2: Rosaceae to Umbelliferae . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1968, ISBN 0-521-06662-X , pp. 236 (English, limited preview in Google Book search).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e TG Tutin, VH Heywood, NA Burges, DM Moore, DH Valentine, SM Walters, DA Webb (eds.): Flora Europaea . Volume 2: Rosaceae to Umbelliferae . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1968, ISBN 0-521-06662-X , pp. 236 (English, limited preview in Google Book search).
  2. ↑ a b c Bitter finial . In: BiolFlor, the database of biological-ecological characteristics of the flora of Germany.
  3. ↑ 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.  643 .
  4. ↑ Linné 1759: scanned in at biodiversitylibrary.org .
  5. ^ Polygala amara at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Retrieved December 22, 2018.

Web links

Commons : Bitter Finial ( Polygala amara )  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files