Beach centaury

Beach centaury
	Beach-centaury in the subspecies ( Centaurium littorale subsp. Compressum )
Systematics
	Asterids
	Euasterids I
Order :	Enzianartige (Gentianales)
Family :	Gentian Family (Gentianaceae)
Genre :	Centaury ( Centaurium )
Type :	Beach centaury
Scientific name
	Centaurium littoral
	( Turner ) Gilmour

The beach-centaury ( Centaurium littorale , Syn. : Erythraea littoralis ), also salt-centaury called, is a form-rich kind in the genre of Tausendgüldenkräuter ( Centaurium ).

description

The annual plant is up to 25 cm high, the basal leaves form a rosette. The entire stem-leaves are cross-opposite . The system of the pink inflorescence is already forked in the lower areas and appears tightly tufted. The main flowering time is from July to September, the five-part and up to 12 mm large single flowers only open in sunshine.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 40.

Flowers with purple petals

Occurrence

The strictly protected beach centaury is naturally widespread from northern, eastern and central Europe westwards to France, Great Britain, Ireland and Portugal, but the occurrence is inconsistent.

Locations

It occurs scattered on sunny, fresh to alternately moist, often gravelly-sandy, as well as lime or salty coastal and inland locations. Notable local clusters of Centaurium littorale exist almost exclusively in grassy dune areas. Only there can the stocky plant be considered largely stable. On the coast it is a character species of the Centaurio litoralis-Saginetum nodosae from the Saginion maritimae association.

Systematics

One can distinguish the following subspecies:

Centaurium littorale subsp. littoral
Centaurium littorale subsp. compressum (Hayne) Kirschner (Syn .: Centaurium littorale subsp. uliginosum Rothm. ex Melderis ): It occurs in southern and central Europe and in the Ukraine. In Central Europe it occurs only at inland salt points.

A Centaurium littorale var. Glomeratum (Wittr.) Melderis has been described as a variety .

Pictures of the subspecies Centaurium littorale subsp. compressum

Basal rosette with oblong to linear-spatulate leaves less than 6 millimeters wide
Underside of the stem leaf with papillary margins
Inflorescence with 0 to 1 millimeter long stalked terminal flowers

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d 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. 751-752 .
↑ ^a ^b Karol Marhold, 2011: Gentianaceae : Datasheet Centaurium littorale In: Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity.
^ Centaurium in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved October 25, 2017.

Web links

Commons : Beach Centaury ( Centaurium littorale ) - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Beach centaury. In: FloraWeb.de.
Beach centaury . In: BiolFlor, the database of biological-ecological characteristics of the flora of Germany.
Distribution in the northern hemisphere according to Eric Hultén
Thomas Meyer: Data sheet with identification key and photos at Flora-de: Flora von Deutschland (old name of the website: Flowers in Swabia )

[Oberdorfer2001-1] 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. 751-752 .

[Euro+Med-2] Karol Marhold, 2011: Gentianaceae : Datasheet Centaurium littorale In: Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity.

[GRIN-3] Centaurium in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved October 25, 2017.