Vinca herbacea

Herbaceous periwinkle (Vinca herbacea )

The Herbaceous evergreen or Deciduous - evergreen (Vinca herbacea ) is a slightly toxic plant species in the genus Periwinkle ( Vinca ) in the family of the dogbane family ( Apocynaceae ). In German-speaking countries, it occurs only in Austria.

Features

Vegetative characteristics

The Herbaceous Periwinkle is a perennial plant that usually reaches stature heights between 5 and 10 centimeters. After fruiting in August, the plant absorbs and stems, and leaves die in winter from complete, ie the species is summer green, contrary to its genus name. At the achsenbürtige, umbrella-shaped root is followed by a bald and grooved stems. The 20 to 80 -inch-long stems lying on the ground or form a flat sheet and are simply branched in the upper section. Its tip can put down roots in the fall as Sets actuator. The against-constant leaves sit almost directly or up to 2 millimeters long stems to the stalk. The spreading of 2 to 3, in some cases, 4 cm long and 0.5 to 1.5 centimeters wide. The lower leaves have ovate to elliptic to lanceolate shape, however, are upper oblong to linear. All leaves are very short ciliated at the edge. The lateral veins of the leaves branch off at an angle of 10 to 30 degrees from the midrib.

Generative features

The flowers grow singly in the axils of leaves and sit on a 2-4, sometimes only 1.5 centimeters long stem. In the lower flowers of this is sometimes longer than the leaves. The calyx is 5-7, sometimes only 4 millimeters long and ranges up to about the significant constriction of 10 to 15 millimeters long corolla-tube. The sepals are usually 3.5 to 5 mm long, linear to schmallinealisch - halblanzettlich and ciliated. The violet-blue to light blue crown is rotated in the bud condition, 2 to 3 inches long and has a diameter of 2.5 to 3.5 centimeters. The five petals are asymmetric, whose hem is spread. The stamens of the five stamens have a crease and below the tip of the stylus is a disk- shaped structure, the scar head is called. This design is a self-pollination of the flower prevent ( Herkogamie ): langrüsselige insects cause its proboscis into bloom in to drink nectar at the base and have to perform the trunk through the openings between the scar ring, the leading past the scar ring stamens and the surrounding crown. The scar ring secretes a sticky mucus that causes pulling out of the pollen present on the hair at the tip of the stylus proboscis sticks. At the next flower the insect previously recorded on pollen grain ring strips off during insertion of the proboscis and thus lead to a pollination. However, fruits rarely form off. Each of the two carpels form a 2 to 3 inches long follicle which usually 1 to 3 about 10 millimeters long, containing brown, cylindrical, bare seeds.

Chromosome number

The chromosome number is 2n = 46

Ecology

In Central Europe the flowering geophytes this extends to hemicryptophytes from April to early May.

Occurrence

The Herbaceous Periwinkle is a Palestinian- hyrkanisch - ostsubmediterran - südanatolisch - caucasian - Pontic- Pannonian Florenelement and has its main distribution in South-East Europe, Ukraine, in southern Russia, the eastern Mediterranean, in Palestine, Turkey, northern Iran and the northern Iraq. Its preferred habitats are sparse forests and sunny dry grasslands and open, schuttige slopes, where it occurs as a pioneer plant. It prefers shallow, stony,, calcareous soils ( Rendisinen ) in warm regions. In German-speaking countries, it occurs only in Austria and reaches here its westernmost limit of distribution. The type can result in up to 1,500 meters above sea level occur ( in Bulgaria).

In Austria you can the summer green evergreen very rare and only in the Pannonian region in the provinces of Vienna ( at Falkenberg, a foothill of Bisamberg ), in the North Burgenland ( in the Leitha Mountains, but here probably extinct ) and Lower Austria ( Bisamberg in Vienna and in the southern wine district in Hochleithen forest and forest Matzner; occurrence in a castle courtyard was destroyed by the construction of a bypass road recently ) encountered in the planar up hill and altitude level. In Austria, the species is considered endangered.

Taxonomy

The Summer Green Evergreen was described by Pál Kitaibel factory Descriptiones et icones plantarum rariorum Hungariae ( descriptions and pictures of rare plants in Hungary ) in 1799 for the first time scientifically.

Use

The active ingredient Vincamine is or has been used in blood-pressure -promoting drugs.

The Herbaceous Periwinkle is rarely used as an ornamental plant for perennial borders and rock gardens. It is in culture at least since 1816.