Swallowwort gentian

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Swallowwort gentian
Swallowwort gentian (Gentiana asclepiadea)

Swallowwort gentian ( Gentiana asclepiadea )

Systematics
Asterids
Euasterids I
Order : Enzianartige (Gentianales)
Family : Gentian Family (Gentianaceae)
Genre : Gentians ( Gentiana )
Type : Swallowwort gentian
Scientific name
Gentiana asclepiadea
L.

The swallowwort gentian ( Gentiana asclepiadea ) is a species of the genus Gentian ( Gentiana ) in the gentian family (Gentianaceae).

Names

The German common name Schwalbenwurz-Gentian refers to the similarity with the Schwalbenwurz ( Vincetoxicum hirundinaria ), whose leaves are also arranged opposite.

Other common names are blue crucifer after the leaves opposite to the cross, goat ladders after the ladder-shaped shadow leaves, autumn gentian and stag rutting gentian after its late heyday.

description

Illustration from Germany's flora in images based on nature

Vegetative characteristics

The swallow-root gentian grows as a perennial herbaceous plant and reaches heights of 30 to 100 centimeters. Several upright to overhanging, multi-flowered stems are formed. The stems are simple and dense, evenly leafed.

The oppositely arranged leaves are one-sided (fo. Pectinata ) in the shade and all -sided in open, clear places (fo. Cruciata ) , depending on their location . The 4 to 8 centimeters long leaves are smaller from top to bottom. The simple leaf blades are lanceolate and entire. They have three to five distinct longitudinal arteries and are network nerve in between.

Generative characteristics

Up to three of the flowers sit in the upper leaf axils. The hermaphrodite flowers are about 35 to 50 millimeters in size and are five-fold with a double flower envelope . The five membranous sepals are fused to form a calyx tube that ends in five very short and narrow calyx tips. The dark-azure-blue, narrow-bell-shaped crown shows a dark blue color on the outside, inside it is dotted red-violet with mostly light blue vertical stripes.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 44.

ecology

The swallowwort gentian is a hemicryptophyte .

The flowering period extends from August to October. Because of the late flowering period, self-pollination plays a major role in this species , with the stigmas rolling back so far that they come into contact with the lower anthers.

Habit, opposite leaves and flowers
Habit, opposite leaves and flowers

Synecology

The hermaphrodite flowers of the swallow root gentian are pre-male , which means that the pollen is emptied through the anthers before the stigma ripens. A temporal overlap between these two stages is under discussion, but has not yet been clarified. The swallowwort gentian offers nectar and is primarily pollinated by bees and bumblebees. Self-pollination also occurs.

The caterpillars of the highly endangered gentian ant blues ( Maculinea alcon ) and the gentian alpine leaf tensioner ( Perizoma obsoletata ) are oligophagous dependent on the swallow root gentian as a fodder plant .

The swallow root gentian is attacked by the rust fungus Cronartium flaccidum with uredia and telia .

Occurrence and endangerment

The range of the swallowwort gentian includes the mountains of central and southern Europe. Quite common in the Alps in the marginal Alps, scattered in the Inner Alps. In the German foothills of the Alps, the occurrence extends at least to the Starnberg district .

The swallowwort gentian thrives at altitudes from the valley up to about 2200 meters. In the Allgäu Alps, it rises to an altitude of 1900 meters. As a location preferred this lime-loving plant wet meadows, fens, forest edges, Riedwiesen, Hochstaudenfluren and Legföhrengebüsche . In Central Europe, it occurs primarily in societies of the Molinion Association, in the high mountains also in societies of the Fagion, Erico-Pinion or the Origanetalia or Adenostyletalia orders.

The swallowwort gentian is considered endangered in Germany. The intensive grazing of fresh and wet meadows mainly contributes to this. The swallow-root gentian is also very popular with collectors, which also has a negative effect on the stock situation.

Healing effect

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

All parts of the plant of swallow-root gentian, especially the "rhizome", contain bitter glycosides like all types of gentian and the drug was used medicinally. In folk medicine it was thought to have healing powers against rabies and was used for dog bites (Bitzwurzen), in veterinary medicine as a remedy against claw diseases (cloav root).

photos

  • Flowers from above

  • Flowers from the side

  • blossoms

  • Gentiana asclepiadea var. Alba

  • inflorescence

literature

  • Xaver Finkenzeller, Jürke Grau: Alpine flowers. Recognize and determine (=  Steinbach's natural guide ). Mosaik, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-576-11482-3 .
  • 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 .
  • Thomas Gaskell Tutin : Gentiana. In: TG Tutin, VH Heywood, NA Burges, DM Moore, DH Valentine, SM Walters, DA Webb (eds.): Flora Europaea . Volume 3: Diapensiaceae to Myoporaceae . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1972, ISBN 0-521-08489-X , pp. 60 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search).
  • Stingl, Wagner, Haseder, Erlbeck: Das Kosmos Wald- und Forstlexikon , Kosmos-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-440-10375-3 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Gentiana asclepiadea L., Swallowwort gentian. In: FloraWeb.de.
  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.  755 .
  3. ↑ Swallowwort gentian . In: BiolFlor, the database of biological-ecological characteristics of the flora of Germany.
  4. ↑ The swallow-root gentian as a caterpillar forage plant at Flora.web.
  5. ↑ Peter Zwetko: The rust mushrooms Austria. Supplement and host-parasite directory to the 2nd edition of the Catalogus Florae Austriae, III. Part, Book 1, Uredinales. (PDF; 1.8 MB).
  6. ↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 2, IHW, Eching 2004, ISBN 3-930167-61-1 , p. 334.

Web links

Commons : Swallowwort gentian ( Gentiana asclepiadea )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files