Cymbalaria muralis

Zimbelkraut ( Cymbalaria muralis )

The Zimbelkraut, also Zymbelkraut, wall - Zimbelkraut or Eustett ( Switzerland ) ( Cymbalaria muralis, syn Linaria and Antirrhinum cymbalaria cymbalaria ) belongs to the family of the plantain family ( Plantaginaceae ).

Description

The Zimbelkraut is a perennial, herbaceous plant with thread-like, up to 60 cm long, climbing or hanging stems. The heart-shaped leaves are mostly hand dyed reddish. The zygomorphic flowers are spurred and mostly light purple.

The flowering period extends from June to September, the fruit ripening from August to September.

Ecology

The Wall Zimbelkraut is a perennial herbaceous Hemikryptophyt or a Chamaephyt.

The flowers are small homo game " mask Flowers" with Kronblattsporn. The yellow flowers of times outside work on the lower lip of the flower as dust bag dummies. The flowers turn to light (they are positively phototropic ). Pollinators are bees and hoverflies. Even self-pollination in flower buds short, to einbohrender into the ground with closed side branches lasting flowers ( cleistogamy ) occurs.

The fruit stem grows from after fertilization. The small pores dreiklappigen capsules jump up and plant the seeds free. The last seed remains firmly attached to the fruit, the fruit stalk finally away from the light (negative phototropic ) and thus, for example, in wall crevices grow into. How to obtain the seeds almost certainly a favorable seed bed. Zimbelkraut is thus the classic textbook example of phototropism. The type is a Selbstaussäer, a dark germinator and a Gartenflüchter.

Occurrence

The Wall Zimbelkraut is originally from the Mediterranean region. Original locations were rocks of the mountains of Northern Italy and the Northern Adriatic. The Zimbelkraut was naturalized about in the 16th century in Central Europe as an ornamental and medicinal plant ( angesalbt ) and is now represented in rock, but mainly to be found in wall cracks ( established neophyte ). The Zimbelkraut prefers warm, but semi -shady to sunny, slightly damp walls and wall cracks.

After Ellenberg it is a half-light plant, a heat indicator, sub-oceanic spreading, moderately nitrogen-rich sites and preferring a Klassencharakterart heat lovers wall Herb companies ( Parietarietea, Parietarietalia judaicae ).

Botanical history and systematics

History

The first mention of this plant is in the herbals of Lonicer (1582 ) and Matthiolus ( 1586), where it is described as a medicinal plant.

The term ' Zymbalkraut ' is used for the first time by Kennel ( 1696 ). The therapeutic indications for this plant were very different, but seem to be the main indications wounds to have been inflammations of various kinds and gynecological disorders. Main ingredients are iridoids.

The writer Heinrich Seidel describes in the sketch " Linaria cymbalaria " as the plant in Berlin " ansalbte " from 1890.

System

The genus was formerly placed Cymbalaria to the figwort family ( Scrophulariaceae ). The assignment to the plantain family ( Plantaginaceae ) was carried out on the basis of molecular genetic studies.

Quote

In the poem cycle " The flowers and the life" writes Ludwig Bechstein (1801-1860) on the Zimbelkraut: "Cute plant, you'll dress the old ruin walls, trailing down and up you blühest lonely for you. Sey memory image, which, of loneliness trusted companion, often of past happiness sinking air lock, umgrünt. "

Use

The Wall Zimbelkraut place as a garden ornamental plant on walls and in rock gardens use.