Andromeda polifolia

Bog rosemary ( Andromeda polifolia ), flowering.

The bog rosemary ( Andromeda polifolia, Syn: Andromeda rosmarinifolia ), also Pennyroyal Gränke, lavender heather, Poleirosmarinheide and marsh rosemary called, is a plant of the family Ericaceae ( Ericaceae ). She was elected to the flower of the year 1991.

Description

The rosemary is a woody, evergreen perennial plant, a dwarf shrub, the plant height 15-30 centimeters achieved and forms underground runners.

The short-stalked, leathery, lance-shaped leaves have a rolled- edge and are whitish on the underside. They thus resemble the leaves of rosemary, where this plant has its name.

The rosemary is in a schirmtraubigen inflorescence two to five, rarely up to eight nodding flowers. The egg-shaped and pink to white petals are family typically intergrown spherical to bell-shaped.

There shall be set upright, brown, fünffächerige capsule fruits.

Ecology

The Rosmarienheide is an evergreen dwarf shrub; their root forms a mycorrhiza from the Ericaceae type.

The flowers are "Hanging bell flowers with spreading device ", ie the pollen trickles down to the visitors during the approach. Pollinators are bees and other Hymenoptera; but also self-pollination takes place. Bloom time is from May to July.

Fruits are 5 - klappig dehiscent, vielsamige capsules that act as wind spreader and the seeds can spread as granules flyer. The plant is a winter stayer. Fruit ripening is from August to October.

Vegetative propagation is done by underground runners.

Toxicology

The rosemary is highly toxic in all its parts.

Main ingredients are Andromedotoxin, also several iridoid glycosides; According to recent data but should be no diterpenes.

Poisoning have occurred in grazing animals, particularly in sheep and goats.

In humans, poisoning have been caused by the honey which comes from the rosemary. Poisoning by such honey, which had been acquired in the Turkish Black Sea region, were 1981 and 1982 treated in Austrian hospitals. Among symptomatic therapy, the patients recovered within a 24 hour period but again completely.

Dissemination

Andromeda polifolia has a circumpolar distribution. The native to North America rosemary is separated as a variety Andromeda polifolia latifolia Aiton.

The rosemary is in Germany, in Bavaria (especially Bavarian Forest, Fichtelgebirge, Rhön), Baden- Württemberg (especially Upper Swabia, Black Forest), and distributed in North German moors. In other areas, they can also be found rarely in accordance with the rarity of the habitat.

Habitat requirements

The rosemary is a resident of the heath and rain Moore. It is lime-intolerant and requires open places. The typical family mycorrhizal allows Andromeda polifolia on heavily nitrogen-poor soils, as pagans and fells are to grow. For germination it requires a cold stimulus ( cold germinator ) and light ( light to germinate ).

Diseases

The rosemary is karstenii of the two Nacktbasidien Exobasidium and infested Exobasidium sundstroemii. In the former the leaves are wider than normal and are colored upper side purple - to black-red. When an infestation with Exobasidium sundstroemii the leaves are barely increased, but red lilac green spotty. Rosemary Gentile Runzelschorf ( Rhytisma Andromedae ) is 2-10 mm wide black spots on the upper leaf surface.

Trivial names

For the rosemary or were, sometimes only regionally, including the names Gränke, small boundary, small Grantze (Silesia ), small post (Mark), small Prost (Mark), small rosemary (Silesia, Mecklenburg, Carinthia ), wild rosemary (Silesia, Mecklenburg, Carinthia ), small bog rosemary, Torfheide and Torfrosmarin common.

More

Most of the names of the plants are based on the similarity with other plant species, as well as the scientific epithet polifolia = " poleiblättrig ", which compares with Pennyroyal germander Teucrium polium.

Hermann Lons dedicated this plant his poem "Lost ".

Pictures

Fruits

Shoot with typical rolled leaves

Swell

• Gordon C. Tucker: Ericaceae in the Flora of North America, Volume 8, page 503: Andromeda polifolia - Online. ( Section systematics and description)
• R. Duell / H. Kutzelnigg: Pocket Dictionary of Plants in Germany and neighboring countries, 7th Edition, Quelle & Meyer Verlag, 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1
• Roth / Daunderer / Kormann: poisonous plants plant toxins. 4th edition.