Linnaeus' flower clock

The term is meant to Flower

• Decorative clock (horticulture element ), which is inserted into a flower bed and its dial is made partly or wholly of (flowering ) plants. The hands of the clock are driven by a clockwork.

• Time determination based on the open flowers of different plant species, such as it is studied in chronobiology. It is in the flower to a practical application of natural observations, which are summarized today as phenology.

Rationale ( Chronobiologically )

Is illustrated by the flower coevolution between flowering plants and their animal pollinators. Due to the different flowering times, it is ensured that 24 hours nectar and pollen for pollinators ready. Had opened at the same time, all flowers, all pollinators would also have to go in search of food at the same time. This would lead to strong competition among both to pollinating plant species as well as among the pollinators, further bottlenecks in energy metabolism and in reproduction. Due to the distributed flowering times on the one hand foraging possible for all pollinating animals, on the other hand pollination of flowering plants is secured.

In general, evening and night flowers bloom less than during the day. Especially the late night and early bloomers open up new pollinator, the development of the nocturnal flowers and moths can be seen as co-evolution.

Example plants

The following examples from Central European latitudes with respect to CET:

• Meadow Salsify 3 to 12 clock
• Pumpkin 4 to 15 clock
• Gossip poppy 5 to 18 clock
• Chicory 5 to 14 clock
• Thistle 6 to 12 clock
• Grass Lily 6 clock
• Bindweed 6 to 16 clock
• Coltsfoot 7 to 16 clock
• Waterlily 7 to 17 clock
• Marigold 7 to 14 clock
• Meadows hawksbeard 7 clock
• Woman jacket 7 clock
• Gauchheil 8 to 16 clock
• Sumpfdotterblume 8 to 21 clock
• Autumn lion tooth 8 clock
• Marguerite 9 clock
• Gentian 9 clock
• Toadflax 9 clock
• Wood sorrel 10 to 16 clock
• Hollyhock 10 clock
• Cabbage Sowthistle 11 clock
• Mittagsblume 11 clock
• Wunderblume 16 clock
• Evening Primrose 20-6 Clock

Linnaeus' flower clock

The Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus was not only the author of numerous theoretical writings, but also laid a floral clock developed by him in the Botanical Garden of Uppsala. It was a flower bed in the form of a dial with 12 subdivisions in turn, which was planted with the respective hour flowering herbaceous plants. For with the observation of nature in its immediate surroundings, he had made the startling for its time finding that certain plant species bloomed only at certain times of day. Building on intensified Linnaeus his research and found that this plant activities for the ( Swedish ) growth period took place always at the same day or night. There was thus obtained for him the idea of ​​a clock planted almost by itself By the planted herbaceous plants in the one- clock - field, who had fully opened their bloom either at 13:00 or 01:00 clock clock and in boxes 2 to 12 each corresponding plant species, he had created an accurate, natural clock. It is supposed to have a view from the window of his study to his " Flower " is enough for him in the question of the time to read the clock accurate to within 5 minutes.