Veronica beccabunga

Bachbunge (Veronica beccabunga ) blue flower on the left, right immature dark green capsule fruit

The Bachbunge (Veronica beccabunga ), also called Bach - speedwell, is a flowering plant in the family of the plantain family ( Plantaginaceae ). It comes in ditches, springs and streams, also on the banks of lakes and ponds before and prefers cool waters.

Description

The Bachbunge is a perennial plant that reaches the plant height of 30 to 60 centimeters and has a creeping rhizome. The cylindrical, fleshy stalk is hollow. From the elliptical, slightly fleshy, front blunt, rounded leaves are particularly the lower petiolate. The leaf margin is serrated.

The racemose inflorescences arise from the leaf axils and consist of 20 to 25 flowers. The sky-blue flowers have a diameter of 5 to 8 mm. Bloom time is May to September. The 3-4 mm large fruit capsules are to be compared in shape with blueberries.

Ecology

The Bachbunge is a perennial, evergreen, creeping marsh plant with at the base, then erect stems.

The flowers are vorweibliche " nectar - leading disk flowers " which are fully open only in sunshine. Pollinators are mainly small hoverflies, rarely bees relatives. There is spontaneous self-pollination. Bloom time is from May to August.

The fruits are capsules which are so open hydrochas with moisture. The plano-convex, 0.6 mm long and 0.06 mg heavy seeds spread as Regenschwemmlinge out in open water and mud also occurs floating spread, next to a water spread as Misty and a random propagation is done by waterfowl. Fruit ripening is from August / September to October.

Vegetative propagation is done by aboveground and underground runners that make the plant to Kriechpionier.

In trout streams a popular water plant. Living larval to the submerged parts of plants. When changing the water level, and the plant is submerged deep in the water, they wintered.

Usually the Bachbunge is half submerged in water.

Occurrence

The Bachbunge occurs throughout Europe.

In Austria, it occurs in all provinces in the hill and subalpine altitudinal zone to spring swamps, streams, ditches and hem flowing waters often.

Use

As a salad, digestive, lots of vitamin C. Beware of eutrophic streams and parasites. If possible, collect the upper reaches of the stream. In addition, Emil Adolf Rossmaessler Veronica beccabunga recommends the establishment of a domestic nature -inspired aquarium.