Bartsia alpina

Alpine Helmet ( Bartsia alpina)

The Alpine Helmet ( Bartsia alpina), also known as brown helmet, alpine flower or mourning beard differences, is the only Central European species of the genus Bartsia from the family of broomrape family ( Orobanchaceae ).

Carl Linnaeus named the genus in memory of his friend, the German colonial physician and naturalist Johann Bartsch, of the tropical climate was at the age of 28 years in Suriname / South America to the victim.

Description

The Alpine Helmet is a half parasite and forms immediately after germination haustoria ( suckers ), with whom she attaches itself to the roots of neighboring plants. The perennial herbaceous plant reaches heights of growth of about 10 to 20 (30 ) cm and is hairy. She has a blunt -edged stems. The leaves are crosswise on opposite sides.

The dark color of the inflorescence comes from anthocyanins ( blue and red dyes) that overlie the chlorophyll here even in the upper leaves. The dark purple flowers sit individually in the upper leaf axils. The upper lip is flat helmet-shaped.

Bloom time is from June to August.

Distribution and location

The Alps helmet has a Holarctic distribution, with occurrences in the Western Palestine and the eastern Nearctic. Locations in the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland connect the distribution areas of the Old and New Worlds. This distribution pattern is characteristic of amphi -Atlantic species.

In Europe, the Alps helmet is one of the species with arctic - alpine ( boreo - alpine ) distribution, since in addition to deposits in Scandinavia and Western Siberia only be colonized the Pyrenees, the Alps and the mountains of Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Localities in the Black Forest and the Vosges represent outpost of the Alpine distribution area and can, as well as the occurrence on Gotland and in England and Scotland, are interpreted as ice age relics.

As location calcareous meadows, spring and flat bogs and clearings are preferred in subalpine forests in Central Europe. The habitats are located at altitudes between 1000 and 3000 m above sea level; they can be generally characterized as moist and rich base.

Ecology

Anthocyanins are formed particularly intense in the alpine climate, since the sugar formed by assimilation night due often to lower temperatures by many plants can no longer be converted into strength, but only in these dyes.