Chimaphila umbellata

Doldiges umbellata ( Chimaphila umbellata )

The umbels umbellata ( Chimaphila umbellata ), also Doldiges umbellata or Doldiges wintergreen, is a very rare plant from the family Ericaceae ( Ericaceae ) and the subfamily of Monotropoideae ( wintergreen and spruce asparagus family). The genus Chimaphila comprises four to five species.

Features

The plant is about seven to 15 ( 20) inches tall and is a subshrub. The stem is woody at the base and pale yellow to reddish. The rhizome creeps far, so that the plant usually grows in troops. The evergreen leaves are rosette approached, spatulate shaped, dark green, leathery, shiny and sharp cut in the margin. The inflorescence is a terminal, loosely arranged corymb with three to seven nodding flowers. The five pink petals are five to six millimeters in length and tend to hemispherical with a not yet fully open bloom together. The short green pen is greatly thickened below the scar and visually quite dominant, which is typical of wintergreen plants. The flowering period extends approximately from late June to early August.

Like all evergreen plants survived the kind in symbiosis with a root fungus ( mycorrhiza ). This surrounds the roots with a dense mycelium coat and supplies the plant with water and mineral salts while the fungus receives carbohydrates vice versa. Also for the seedling development mycorrhizal crucial seems to be.

Habitat requirements

The Doldige umbellata growing in lichen-rich pine forests on dry to fresh, nutrient-poor and moderately calcareous sandy soil. A socialization with others, also rare wintergreen plants, such as the Grünblütigen wintergreen ( Pyrola chlorantha ), the moss eye ( Moneses uniflora ), the Birngrün ( Orthilia secunda ), or even with the spruce asparagus ( Monotropa hypopitys ) can be observed.

Dissemination, risk

The nominate is in northern central Europe, Northern Europe and in Russia - a major focus is in particular in the Baltic region. In Germany, only the north-eastern German lowlands are inhabited sporadically; the relatively largest continuity is still achieved in Brandenburg. Anthropogenic landscape changes, perhaps most notably by the areal eutrophication through the air, but also by forestry activities, the holdings of the doldigen winter Lieb's are very strong shrunk. The excessive nutrient input causes a succession of the herbaceous layer in forests; the typical Chimaphila and other winter green plants and lichens Hager Moss pine forests transform into Drahtschmielen pine forests. From the propagating wavy ( Deschampsia flexuosa ), a forest grass are the Pyrolaceae apparently gradually displaced. Later provide a more nutrient- pointing types.

In Germany the Doldige winter lovers, for the purposes of the Law ( Federal Species Protection Ordinance ) as " special protection ". The species is also Germany and Europe as " critically endangered ", classified as " critically endangered " in various Red Lists of the provinces.