Erica tetralix
Bell heather ( Erica tetralix )
The bell heather ( Erica tetralix ), also called bog - bell heather, is among the heather family ( Ericaceae ). The names Doppheide ( Stormarn ) Toppheide and Dopphehe ( Ibbenbüren ) refer to the shape of the corolla. " Dopp " means as much as " hollow curve ". Other names are swampy heath, Torfheide, Suerheid ( Bergisch ), Forch Heath Heath and spring.
Description
The evergreen dwarf shrub ( Chamaephyt ) reaches stature heights between 15 and 50 centimeters. The needle-like leaves are between 3 to 6 millimeters long. You are whorled and sparrig projecting to the stalk. You are hispid ciliate and rolled over the edge.
The inflorescence is capitate - doldig and consists of five to fifteen individual flowers. The sepals are four-piece and 2 to 3 millimeters long. An outer cup is missing. The crown of the flower is 6-9 mm long, pink and oval cylindrical. It includes the eight stamens ( anthers ). The bell - heather blooms from June to September.
It is similar to the Irish heath ( Daboecia cantabrica ), whose flowers are significantly larger.
Ecology
The bells Heath is a dwarf shrub with evergreen, rolled- edge needle leaves as an adaptation to the Nährsalzarmut of the site; it is therefore a Peinomorphose the leaves. In addition, the plant endotrophic mycorrhiza from the Ericaceae - type forms.
The flowers are " bell flowers with spreading device ". The stamens are united into a scattering cone. The nectar is deposited in the ovary. The corolla is retained after pollination, so the plant for a long time seems like flowering. The flower visitors as bumblebees and butterflies for pollination are of little importance. Honey bees can only just do not reach the nectar because of the relatively short proboscis, unless they just get this as bumblebees by lateral bite the corolla. Wind pollination is possible, but relatively rare, spontaneous self-pollination, however, is widespread. But the main pollination is done by only 1 mm long insects from the group of thrips, the so-called " Gewitterwürmchen " ericae mainly by Taeniothrips, which are found in the majority of the flowers. The females lay eggs inside the somewhat fleshy petals, and larval development takes place within the flower. The adult insects live in the flowers, where they are well supplied with nectar. There were mainly winged females that fly to opening of the flowers back and forth in order to copulate with the rare and wingless males and thereby cause both the debt and the self-pollination of the flowers. Bloom time is from June to August.
The fruits are hidden in the crown septicidal dry capsules; they are wind spreader. The seeds are very small and numerous, and spread as granules flyers from.
Distribution and location
This heather plant comes in the Atlantic before Europe such as Spain, Portugal, Northern France, England and Denmark, but also in places in Poland. In Germany, the north-western German lowlands is the focus. Recently, the bell - heather was angesalbt in Bavarian moors, where the species does not naturally occurred.
Bell heather grows in nutrient-poor bogs and bog forests as well as in dwarf shrub heath and Nardus grasslands on acidic, nutrient-poor, sandy and mucky soils to peat. Typical habitat types are also wet heath, heath shores of lakes and moorlands. They settled on another secondary locations, such as in sand pits and forest clearings. Especially on degenerate, partially dewatered rain peatlands makes them from so-called heathland.
Threats and conservation
The bell heather is mainly threatened by drainage, reforestation or afforestation and eutrophication of the sites. Larger stocks are often found only in protected areas. In many places it will be displaced by draining the sites through the moor grass ( Molinia caerulea). By suitable habitat Flege measures such as rewetting and Entbuschung the re- spreading of the plant can be promoted.