Anemone hepatica

Hepatica ( Hepatica nobilis)

The Hepatica ( Hepatica nobilis, Syn Anemone hepatica) belongs to the family of the buttercup family ( Ranunculaceae ). About, belonging to a genus, there are two views (see section Systematics ): Most authors liverwort genus Hepatica. Other authors provide a broad genus of anemone (Anemone ).

The name Hepatica as well as the German trivial name refers to the shape of the leaves. The leaves are reminiscent in outline to the shape of the human liver and justified earlier by the doctrine of signatures, the belief in the healing power with liver disease. The Hepatica is one of the earliest in the spring flowering species. Typically, it grows on calcareous soil in light oak and beech forests.

The Nature Conservation Foundation Hamburg has declared the liverwort to the flower of the year 2013.

• 8.1 Literature
• 8.2 Notes and references

Description

Vegetative characteristics

The Hepatica is a wintering green, perennial, herbaceous plant, which reaches stature heights 10-25 cm. It survives the winter with Überdauerungsknospen, which are located directly at the surface in the leaf axils and in the protection of enduring leaves and therefore belongs to the evergreen hemicryptophytes. It has a short, slanting in the soil, dark brown rhizome, which is staffed with flaky Lower leaves. The roots of the liver Blümchen reach up to 30 inches deep into the soil. Therefore, the liverworts is considered one of the deep-rooting.

The rhizome spring after flowering or towards the end of the heyday of the newly created undergraduate leaves. The long petioles have in young leaves still on a tight shiny, white and soft hair. The leaf blade is divided into three lobes and is reminiscent in outline to the human liver, to which is based upon the doctrine of signatures of German trivial name. The lobes have rounded or slightly pointed leaf tip and can be cut up to half of blade. The upper leaf surface of the slightly leathery leaves is dark green; the lower leaf surface, however, is tinted purple - violet.

Generative features

The hairy, reddish - brown Blütenstandsschäfte grow upright. Almost directly above the three calyx-like, green bracts ( involucre ), which envelop the flower buds protectively and thus take over the protective function of the missing chalice, sit the long-stemmed flowers. The terminal flowers are hermaphrodite, radial symmetry and have a diameter of 15 to 30 mm. The six to nine identically designed bracts are colored blue to blue-violet, rarely copies with white or purple perianth ago. The blue color is produced by the Anthocyanfarbstoff cyanidin. A circle of whitish stamens surrounding the flower center. In the center of the flower are numerous free carpels. They are colored green, oblong in shape and have a kopfige scar.

The flowering period extends from March to April, bringing the liverwort is one of the earliest flowering plants in the spring. In rainy weather and at night to close the flowers. The frequent opening occurs by growth of movements bloom, making this a daily basis slightly longer and during the whole flowering period grow to about twice the original size.

In a multiple fruit several achenes are together.

The Hepatica is diploid with the chromosome number 2n = 14

Ecology

The liverwort grows on loamy, calcareous forest soils almost always with the humus form mull it is standing locally both as a clay-like as Kalkzeiger. It is considered as characteristic species of Central European deciduous forests ( class Querco - Fagetea, see under forest communities of central Europe ), more often it comes in the beech forest on limestone ( wood barley forest and sedge Buchenwald) before, rarely also in coniferous forests of the mountains on calcareous sites. It prefers temperate continental climate with warm and humid summers, but relatively cold winters and therefore lacking in more atlantic dominated areas in Southern Germany, for example, in the west of the Black Forest and west of it ( with a small outpost in the Emperor chair).

Flowers Ecologically it is in the flowering of the liver Blümchen's simply designed to disk flowers. The liverwort offers no nectar, but is an important source of pollen for bees, beetles and hoverflies. The life of the flower is about 8 days.

The seeds, hairy nutlets with Elaiosom be visited by ants and disseminated through this. Since the fruit stems tend to fruit ripening to the ground, the plant is also a Selbstaussäer.

The first very small and unsegmented embryo initially develops very slowly; the plant reaches its Blühreife after years. The enlarging after flowering bracts, through their photosynthesis significantly to the diet of fruit. Fruit ripening occurs already in May.

The rust fungus Puccinia actaeae - agropyri affects the liverworts and forms spermogonia and Aecien on the leaves.

Occurrence

The area of ​​the liver Blümchen is characterized by large distribution gaps ( disjoint area ). Its distribution area is located in the deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere. In Europe, East Asia and North America, it forms from different geographical races.

• Hepatica nobilis var nobilis - from Scandinavia to the Alps and the Pyrenees. When possible locations of beech and oak forests are preferred with calcareous, base-rich loamy soil. In the Alps, it rises to altitudes of 2200 meters. In Austria, the liverworts are often scattered to.

• Hepatica nobilis var asiatica (syn. Hepatica asiatica ): East China, forests and grassy slopes of 700-1100 m.
• Hepatica nobilis var insularis (syn. Hepatica insularis )
• Hepatica nobilis var japonica (syn. Hepatica japonica)
• Hepatica nobilis var pubescens (syn. Hepatica pubescens): This is the only tetraploid race (chromosome number 2n = 28).

• Hepatica nobilis var acuta (syn. acutiloba Hepatica, Anemone acutiloba ): characterized by pointed leaves and lime deposits.
• Hepatica nobilis var obtusa (syn. Hepatica americana, Anemone americana): characterized by rounded leaves and deposits on acidic soil.

System

On the systematic position of the liver Blümchen there are two views. On the one hand speak phylogenetic analyzes as well as morphological and cytological findings for inclusion in a broad genus Anemone. This would have the consequence that all Anemoninae be combined into one class. On the other hand, there are certainly good reasons for the elimination of the genus Hepatica, such as the reduced chromosome base number of x = 7 for Hepatica (compared to x = 8 for the anemone in the narrower sense).

The liverwort was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 Anemone hepatica. The name Hepatica nobilis was introduced in 1771 by Johann Christian von Schreber.

Ingredients

Due to the protoanemonin contained in the fresh plant liverwort can be described as slightly toxic. In case of contact with skin or mucous membranes, the protoanemonin exerts its irritant effect and may cause redness, itching or blistering. Upon drying, the protoanemonin into anemonin and Anemoninsäure is converted, which are practically non-toxic.

Threats and conservation

The Hepatica is " specially protected " by the Federal Species Protection Ordinance ( BArtSchV ) in Germany. It may not be picked yet been excavated. In Austria it is not protected in all states.

The Nature Conservation Foundation and Hamburg Foundation for the protection of endangered plants ( Loki Schmidt Foundation) chose the liverwort from the flower of the year 2013. The Foundation sees the liverwort primarily by being threatened, that "it is popular as a garden plant and is therefore excavated ".

Trivial names

For the liverwort or were, sometimes only regionally, including the names Guldin Cle, gold clover, Güldenklee ( Altmark), Gulden clover, Haselmünich (Tirol ), hazel flower, Haselvoaltcher ( Transylvania), Herblümlein, heart joy, heart herb, deer clover, blue wooden flower ( Henneberg ), Leberblom (Mecklenburg), Leberblümli ( Bern, St. Gallen ), liver flower ( Grisons ), liver clover, noble liver herb ( middle High German ), güldin Leberkrut, Leberkrut ( middle High German ), Lever Blome ( middle Low German ), Leverkrud ( middle Low German ), Lever word ( middle Low German ), Liewerkrokt ( Transylvania ), blue Märzablüm (Aargau), Märzblom ( Altmark), Maiblümli ( Glarus ), Mühliblüamli (St. Gallen Sargans ), blag Oeschken ( Pomerania ), Schöranchel (Mecklenburg ), black leaves cabbage (Silesia ), Steibluoma (St. Gallen in the Upper Rhine Valley ), Steiblüomli (St. Gallen in the Upper Rhine Valley ), blue violas ( East Prussia ) and Vorwitzchen (Paderborn ) in use.

Swell