Whorled willowherb

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Whorled willowherb
Whorled willowherb (Epilobium alpestre), Hochschwab (Styria), approx. 1750 m

Whorled willowherb ( Epilobium alpestre ), Hochschwab (Styria), approx. 1750 m

Systematics
Eurosiden II
Order : Myrtle-like (Myrtales)
Family : Evening primrose family (Onagraceae)
Subfamily : Onagroideae
Genre : Willowherb ( epilobium )
Type : Whorled willowherb
Scientific name
Epilobium alpestre
( Jacq. ) Croquet.

The Quirlblättrige willowherb ( Epilobium alpestre ), also whipper willowherb called, is a plant of the genus willowherb ( Epilobium ) within the family of Onagraceae (Onagraceae). In central to southern Europe, it occurs mainly in the Alps , but also in other high altitudes.

Description and ecology

blossoms
Leaves and fruits

Vegetative characteristics

The whorled willowherb is a perennial herbaceous plant and reaches stature heights of 30 to 80, rarely 100 centimeters. It has a short rhizome . There are no runners during flowering; in autumn, underground runners are formed on the root neck. The stems are erect, usually stand individually and are angular with two to four raised, densely hairy longitudinal ridges. The stems are scattered hairy or bald between the ridges.

The leaves are in the middle and upper area in threes or fourths in whorls , in the lower area they are opposite. The lower leaves are short-stalked, the middle sessile and slightly encompassing the stem. They are 2.5 to 8 inches long and 1 to 2.5 inches wide. They are obovate and have a rounded base. The leaf margin is strongly serrated with 1 millimeter long teeth. The leaf margin and veins are hairy on both sides, the underside of the leaf is shiny.

Generative characteristics

The flowers are radial symmetry , 8 to 18 millimeters long and have a long tube. The surface of the axis cup is covered with protruding glandular hairs, while slightly curved, glandeless hairs sit on the edges. The sepals are 3 to 5 millimeters long, ovate-lanceolate and gradually narrow into the blunt tip. The crown is funnel-shaped. The petals are 6 to 10 millimeters long, narrow and deeply incised. Their color is light purple. The stylus is erect, the scar lobar. The flowering period extends from July to September. Self-pollination prevails .

The capsule fruit is 6 to 8 centimeters long and has protruding glandular hairs on the surfaces and slightly curved, glandless hairs on the edges. The seeds are around 1.8 millimeters long, spindle-shaped and briefly narrowed at the base. The tip ends in a short, translucent appendage. The surface is indistinctly warty.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 36.

Occurrence

The whorled willowherb is native to Central Europe. In the Alps , it is often, in the foothills and in the low mountain ranges it is absent-minded. It grows in high perennial communities on damp rubble, on warehouse corridors and in green alder bushes . It occurs preferentially on fresh, nutrient-rich and humus-rich clay and loam soils . It's a nutrient pointer . It occurs in the montane to subalpine altitude and usually only rises to altitudes of 1870 meters, in exceptional cases (at the Höferspitze in Vorarlberg) but also up to 2131 meters.

In the plant-sociological system in Central Europe it is an order character of the Adenostyletalia , the tall herbaceous corridors and tall herbaceous bushes.

literature

  • Siegmund Seybold (Ed.): Schmeil-Fitschen interactive . CD-ROM, version 1.1. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2002, ISBN 3-494-01327-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ 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. 310 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search).
  2. ↑ 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.  685 .
  3. ↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings . Volume 2, IHW, Eching near Munich, 2004, ISBN 3-930167-61-1 , p. 251.

Web links

Commons : Whorled willowherb ( Epilobium alpestre )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files