Cerastium arvense

Arable chickweed ( Cerastium arvense)

The arable chickweed ( Cerastium arvense) is a species of the carnation family ( Caryophyllaceae ).

Description

The arable chickweed grows lockerrasig as upright, evergreen, perennial herbaceous plant, reaching heights of growth of 5 to 30 cm. In particular, the upper parts of plants often possess special glandular hairs ( trichomes ), which may also be missing or directed backward. In the leaf axils are vegetative foliage leaf clumps that are about as long as the flowering instincts. The arranged decussate at the stems, large leaves with a length of up to 3.5 cm 4 - formed to 20 times as long as wide and linear- lanceolate. They often appear soft because of its upper-side hair. If not flowering shoots are present, they are always stretched.

The arable chickweed flowers from April to August. The usually more than three flowers standing over a wide hautrandigen and often scaly bract. The hermaphrodite flowers have a diameter of about 12 to 20 mm. The 5-7 mm long sepals may be overlooked by the twice longer capsule fruit. The petals are ausgerandeten times as long as the sepals with a length of 11 to 15 mm 1.5. In the prime ten stamens and five pens are available. This capsule fruit is characteristic curved ( horn-shaped ), on the generic name from the Greek word Cerastium keras for Horn relates.

Ecology

The arable chickweed is a herbaceous Chamaephyt and a Kriechstaude.

The flowers are nectar leading " Small funnel flowers". Besides vormännlichen hermaphrodite there are also all-female, smaller flowers; the species is thus gynodiözisch. The field - mouse-ear is pollinated by insects, especially bees and flies. In case of bad weather, the flowers are also kleistogam ie they remain closed.

In the dry, open the capsule fruits and give the seeds free. The diasporas are often spread by ants or by larger animals, their fur clinging to the fruit.

Occurrence

The arable chickweed is common on the whole northern hemisphere. In many parts of Europe it is widespread and common. In South America, it is said to occur as a neophyte.

The arable chickweed grows in waste places, roadsides, on periodically wet meadows, sand dry and Xerothermrasen and rock debris.

Use

The variety ' compactum ' forms dense cushions and is cultivated as an ornamental plant.

Subspecies

We distinguish several sub- types:

• Ordinary arable chickweed ( Cerastium arvense L. subsp arvense. ): The nominate grows vigorously lockerrasig. Its stalk is backward-looking hair. It has low- lying foliage leaf clumps that are about as long as the flowering shoots. The leaves are oblong or linear- lanceolate, up to 30 mm long and 3 mm wide. The petals are long and 14 mm. Their main occurrence is in halbruderalen couch grass warm dry locations and in semi-arid grassland.

• Rigid arable chickweed ( Cerastium arvense subsp strictum ( Koch) Schinz & R.Keller. ): This alpine subspecies grows in loose cushions in the Alps at altitudes of 3000 meters above sea level and is high only three to five centimeters. Its stalk is rarely glandular hairy. The somewhat egg-shaped lanceolate stem leaves are only 15 mm long and 4 mm wide. The petals are up to 11 mm, and sepals to 6 millimeters long.

• Gewimpertes arable chickweed ( Cerastium arvense subsp calcicola ( Schur ) Borza ).: This lime-loving, subalpine to alpine subspecies preferred rocky lawns, flowers from June to August and is up 10 to 20 centimeters. The leaves are 10 to 20 millimeters long, the upper leaves form a wide skin edge. The sepals are five to eight millimeters long and the fruits of one and a half to two times as long as the sepals.