Aster tripolium

Beach aster ( Tripolium pannonicum )

The beach aster ( pannonicum Tripolium, Syn: Aster tripolium L.), also salt - Aster and Pannonia salt Aster called, is a flowering plant in the sunflower family ( Asteraceae). It belongs to the very eye-catching plant species on saline soils.

• 6.1 Notes and references

Description

This one- or two-year herbaceous plant reaches heights of growth from 15 to 150 cm and is hairless. The stem grows upright. He shows shallow grooves and often a reddish tint. The simple, linear lanceolate shaped, ganzrandigen leaves are fleshy and are provided only at the edge with fine eyelashes. At the bottom are mostly non flowering rose shoots and leaves.

It flowers from July to September. In corymbs or corymbs are many basket- shaped inflorescences, which have a diameter of about 2 to 2.5 cm. The tongue-shaped, obtuse bracts are 2-3 mm wide and pressed the basket. The female external ray florets are bright blue colored purple to pale purple. The hermaphrodite inner tubular flowers are yellowish. The achenes have a pappus.

Ecology

A confusion with other species is hardly possible. Its flowers are pollinated by insects, but which can also be spontaneous self-pollination occur and is not uncommon. The Achänenfrüchte be spread by water or wind.

The beach aster has adapted with different mechanisms to the salinity of their stature places. She manages it, inter alia, by shedding of older leaves, where larger amounts of salt were accumulated to get rid of excess salt. Young, receptive leaves are, however, re-formed and take over the function of the shed. This form of adaptation is counted to the strategy of salt elimination, which in turn belongs to the group of salt- regulating mechanisms.

Biosystematics and Taxonomy

There are two sub-species or varieties:

• Tripolium pannonicum subsp. / Var tripolium: this is a clan, which occurs on the sea coasts of western and northern Europe.
• Tripolium pannonicum subsp. / Var pannonicum: this clan occurs on saline soils in the inland and has a Pannonian area of ​​distribution, which may extend into the Pontic- Siberian- Turanian region.

Occurrence

Your area ranging from Europe to Asia.

The beach aster is a salt plant. It grows primarily on wet or periodically flooded salt marshes. There they usually colonizes the Andel meadow area, which extends from the mean high water line to 25 inches above. Your stature places are flooded here 150 to 220 times a year, the salt content of the soil is 26 to 30 percent. However, the beach Aster also occurs at the edges of saline ditches, streams, rivers or in reed communities. Inland, this species may also occur on the edge of salt or Kalihalden. On the coasts it is quite widespread, while due to the low salinity is rare inland.

Occurrence in Austria

In Austria, the Pannonian salt Aster in the colline level stage occurs saline soils in the Pannonian area frequently until dispersed. The deposits are confined to the provinces of Burgenland ( here especially on the Seewinkel ), Lower Austria and unstable in Vienna. In Austria, the species is considered endangered.

Trivial names

In the German-speaking region or the other following trivial names were used for this species, some only regionally, related: Starnkrud (at the Dollard ), beach star ( Thuringia), Suddek (Weser estuary ), Sülte ( East Friesland, Oldenburg ), Sültze ( East Friesland, Oldenburg ), Sultje ( Groen ) and Züddek (Oldenburg ).