Cardamine pentaphyllos

Finger Toothwort ( Cardamine pentaphyllos )

The finger - Toothwort ( Cardamine pentaphyllos ) is a 20-50 cm high, deciduous Geophyt with horizontally creeping, fleshy rhizome.

There are usually three alternate between high stem leaves present, the lower are fingered 5 - merous, while the upper is fingered 3- merous. The leaflets are lanceolate to ovate and toothed.

The flower cluster usually consists of 8-17 flowers that tower above the leaves. The 15-25 mm long petals are mostly purple. The sepals are 7-10 mm long and have a purple skin edge.

The pods are 4-7 mm long and 3-4 mm wide and sharpened by a 7-10 mm long stylus. The pods stems are 10-35 mm long and are available from horizontal.

Ecology

The finger - Toothwort is a shade -enduring, more or less montane forest growing plant. Their bloom season extends from April to June. There is insect pollination and self-pollination. The seed maturation is usually in August. The seeds are in the maturity thrown out by rapid rolling up the flap from bottom to top. The leaves remain green until September or October. The vegetative propagation is possible by division of rhizomes. The germination of the seeds can probably only be in mullhaltigen floors.

Popularization

The finger - Toothwort is a west - alpine Florenelement. To their area of ​​distribution include the Pyrenees, Cevennes, Vosges, the Alps and the Maritime Alps and the French and Swiss Jura.

Locations

The finger - Toothwort needs transpired good, nutrient-rich, humus-rich, stony clay soil. , Which may be even slightly acidic but should have a good gauze pad. They settled ravine forests and herb -rich, moist deciduous forests. Very rare but often in loose, sometimes in individual- rich stocks they are found in Germany on the Baar, on the upper Rhine, in Hegau and in the foothills. The plant hardly increases to up to 1500 m.