Polygala chamaebuxus

Paper finial ( Polygala chamaebuxus )

The book finial ( Polygala chamaebuxus ) also alpine dwarf book, Shrubby finial, Buchsblättriges Milkwort, Evergreen finial or Waldmyrte called, is a species of the family of the finials plants ( Polygalaceae ).

Features

The book finial is an evergreen shrub and reaches stature heights between 5 and 30 centimeters. It has woody stems at the bottom. The young Stems are hairy spreading, aged but increasingly bare and brown.

The leaves are leathery and are similar to those of the ordinary boxwood, which is also evergreen. Of these, the name says.

The flowers are 0.5 to 3 cm long and are about one to three in the axils of the middle and upper leaves or at the end of the stem. The five sepals are designed very differently. The top one is spurred, the lower two are smaller. The two sides are larger and petal -like, usually directed upwards or something repulsed. The color is either off-white, yellowish, brownish-red or intense purple. The plant has three petals, the lower is provided schiffchenartig and with fringed appendage. The color is whitish to yellow- orange, dark increasing when fading to brown orange. The eight stamens are fused into a loop. The fleshy, roundish - heart-shaped, flattened capsule fruits contain dark brown seeds.

The species has the chromosome number 2n = 38, or about 46

Ecology

Pollinators are exclusively bumblebees. The flowering period lasts from April to May and not infrequently a second time from September to October.

The seeds are ovate, long -haired and have a lobed Elaiosom for ants spread. Besides carried wind and water detention spread. Fruit ripening from July to August.

Vegetative Propagation is by suckers.

Occurrence

As the site sparse pine forests, Legföhrengebüsche, stony and poor grass mats are mostly preferred to lime or dolomite. This species is often found on granite residual soils. She is a Erico - Pinetalia Trim characteristic species, but also occurs in Seslerion Association.

The book finial is widespread in the Alps of southern France to the Eastern Alps. Mostly it occurs at altitudes of about 2500 m above sea level in the Bavarian Forest, in the Franconian, Swabian and Swiss Jura and the Baar up. In Austria, this species is often found to scattered in all provinces.

Furthermore, the species is spread by the Pyrenees to the Balkans.

Others

In the Southern Alps, a größerblütige variety whose flowers are colored by the yellow boat pink purple grows. Polygala chamaebuxus var chamaebuxus is widespread in Central Europe, the Apennines and the Balkans. The Large-flowered book finial ( Polygala grandiflora var chamaebuxus Gaudin, syn. Polygala chamaebuxus 'Purpurea ') is in Ticino and Graubünden common.