Asphodelus albus

White asphodel ( Asphodelus albus)

The White asphodel ( Asphodelus albus) is a species of the genus asphodel ( asphodel ) in the subfamily Asphodelus ( Asphodeloideae ).

Features

The White asphodel is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches the plant height of 30 to 120 cm. It has fleshy, turnip -like thickened rhizomes. The stem is erect, Roehrig and mostly leafless. The basal leaves are keeled of gray -green color and measure 15 to 60 × usually 1 to 2 ( 0.5 to 3 ) inches.

It is formed a dense, unbranched or only a few short branches having Direction inflorescence. The membranous bracts are black to dark brown. The hermaphrodite flowers are funnel-shaped. The tepals measure 15-24 × 2.5 to 5.5 millimeters and are white or pale pink colored, with a darker midrib.

The flowering period extends from May to July.

The egg-shaped capsule fruits are usually 8 to 10 (6.5 to 13) millimeters in length.

Occurrence

The White asphodel occurs on sunny meadows, rocky lawns, open woods and on fire locations at altitudes from 0 to 2200 meters in the entire Mediterranean. It prefers rich, calcareous soil.

Use

The White asphodel is rarely used as an ornamental plant for borders, perennial beds and large rockeries. He is in culture at least since 1596. Mountain farmers in the natural sites dug out the unpleasant-smelling tuber. Because of this odor to the basement and storage rooms, where Affodilknollen were designed to have stood bug-free.

Documents

• Xaver Finkenzeller, Jürke Grey: alpine flowers. Identify and determine ( = Steinbach nature guide ). Mosaic, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-576-11482-3.
• Eckhart J. Hunter, Friedrich Ebel, Peter Hanelt, Gerd Müller, K. (ed.): Excursion Flora of Germany. Founded by Werner Roth painter. Volume 5: Herbaceous ornamental and useful plants, Springer, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg, 2008, ISBN 978-3-8274-0918-8.