Upright chickweed
| Upright chickweed | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Upright chickweed ( Moenchia erecta ), illustration |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Moenchia erecta | ||||||||||||
| ( L. ) |
The moenchia erecta ( Moenchia erecta ), and White Minimize called, is a plant from the family of the Pink family (Caryophyllaceae). Since the botanists could not clearly assign this small plant species to any genus, it was placed together with its few relatives in a separate genus, which was named in honor of the Marburg botany professor Conrad Moench Moenchia . In Germany, this rare species is considered endangered.
description
The upright chickweed is an annual herbaceous plant that only reaches heights of 3 to 12 centimeters. One or more slender upright stems sprout from the base , usually bearing two to four pairs of leaves. The stalkless linear-lanceolate leaves are 6 to 12 millimeters long.
One or two flowers on each of the last clearly elongated stems arise from the leaf axils. The four green, about five millimeters long sepals are distinguishable, lanceolate in shape and have a white border. The four white to silvery petals are entire and shorter than the calyx. Each flower has four stamens . The flowering period extends from April to June.
The approximately 6 millimeters long, cylindrical capsule fruit is about as long as the calyx and opens with eight teeth. There are 35 to 55 brown, furrowed seeds in it.
Distribution and ecology
This short-lived, weakly competitive plant is native to Central Europe, Great Britain, France and Spain. It was introduced by humans to North America, South Africa and Australia. Suitable areas are low-nitrogen semi-arid grasslands in warm temperate latitudes up to altitudes of around 700 meters.
According to the ecological indicator values according to Ellenberg , the species is specified as a full-light plant for a warm, evenly dry sea climate. The soil conditions displayed are low in nitrogen and slightly acidic. The kind is a sand pointer; it is a Thero-Airion association character in Central Europe and occurs, for example, in the Filagini-Vulpietum.
In Germany this species is considered endangered in Hessen, in the other federal states it is already extinct or is threatened with extinction. The species is also threatened with extinction throughout Central Europe. However, this plant species does not enjoy statutory species protection. The main reason for the declining development of the species is the ever smaller spread of poor grasslands due to cultural influences, bushes and afforestation.
This plant species occurs as a single specimen or in small groups. The fertilization takes place through insect pollination . The species spreads mainly through the wind spread of the seeds.
The number of chromosomes is n = 18.
Synonyms
The upright chickweed has the botanical name Moenchia erecta (L.) P.Gaertn. There are also the synonyms Sagina erecta L. and Moenchia erecta subsp. erecta .
Sources and further information
The article is mainly based on the following documents:
- Oskar Sebald : Guide through nature. Wild plants of Central Europe. ADAC Verlag, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-87003-352-5 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Oskar Sebald: Guide through nature. Wild plants of Central Europe. ADAC Verlag, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-87003-352-5 , p. 80.
- ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas. 8th edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , p. 379.
- ↑ G. Tischler: The chromosome numbers of the vascular plants of Central Europe. Junk, 's-Gravenhage 1950.
Web links
- Upright chickweed. In: FloraWeb.de.
- Distribution map for Germany. In: Floraweb .
- Moenchia erecta (L.) P. Gaertn. & al. In: Info Flora , the national data and information center for Swiss flora . Retrieved October 13, 2015.
- Flora of South Australia. (engl.)