Eryngium campestre
Field - holly ( Eryngium campestre )
The field - holly ( Eryngium campestre ) is a Central Europe frequently to rarely occurring Umbelliferae ( Apiaceae ). Others, used mostly regional or outdated names are: Kraus thistle, common thistle fallow, roll thistle, thistle Raden, misery, restlessness. It blooms in July and August.
Description
The perennial herbaceous plant reaches a height of 15 to 60 cm, but it can occasionally reach 1 m. It is gray to yellowish - green colored and branched sparrig. The first true leaves are undivided and of elongated shape, the later are palmate - pinnatisect to twice - pinnate or ternate - pinnate serrated double and thorny. The lower ones stalked, the upper amplexicaul.
The umbels are numerous, dense and of hemispherical to walzlicher shape and have numerous, linealische bracts. The flowers are tight. The inflorescence has numerous bracts that protrude from the umbels. The crown is colored white or gray-green. The fruit is flaky.
Ecology
The field - holly is a perennial Hemikryptophyt (half rosette leaves), a deep-rooting ( the cylindric - fusiform rootstock rooted to 2 m deep ), a xerophyte with hardly wilting thorny leaves. The many thorns protect the plant from feeding damage by grazing animals.
The umbels are united analogous to the inflorescence of the daisy family to a capitate inflorescence. It is nectar leading "basket flowers". The flower heads are surrounded by thorny bracts. Stiff upright sepals form " small funnel flowers". Based on the total inflorescence, the flowers are distributed andromonözisch: The umbels first to third order usually only hermaphrodite flowers, the fourth-order umbels usually wear only small male flowers. The hermaphrodite flowers are vormännlich.
The nectar is only insects with at least 2 mm long proboscis accessible eg Bees and butterflies. Fly only eat the pollen.
The plants are typical " trolleys " ( Chamaechorie strategy): Ready to be rung at wind speeds of at least 4 m / s torn off at a predetermined termination point at the root ball and then rolled away as a whole, where the fruits are gradually scattered. Hooking up several plants occur more or less " tumbleweeds " as they often several meters high - especially for Eastern European steppes are characteristic. Propagation also takes place as wind and animal spreader ( Velcro fruits). The fruits are light and frost germinator.
Occurrence
Popularization
The field - man litter comes from the Mediterranean prior to Central Europe, Southern England, Central Russia to Persia and Afghanistan. He is a European- continental - Mediterranean - sub-Mediterranean Florenelement.
Distribution in Central Europe
Eryngium campestre is scattered to widespread especially in the Elbe and the Rhine Valley (Great Sand ( Mainz) ), and the Main area before. Otherwise, it is rare. He lacks, among other things in Northern Germany, the Alps and the Bavarian plateau or is only sporadically available.
In Austria he is in the Pannonian area moderately frequent, otherwise rare to find. The deposits also extend the federal provinces of Vienna, Lower Austria, Burgenland and Upper Austria. In Styria and Tyrol only fickle occurrences are known, Carinthia and Salzburg, the species is extinct. In the northern foothills of the Alps of the field - man scattering is considered endangered.
In Switzerland he rarely occurs mainly in the southwestern part.
Location
The field - Eryngo located scattered in sunny lime - poor grassland and pastures and Wegrainen and dams. It prefers dry soils in summer in warm places.
After Ellenberg he is a full- light plant, a heat indicator, intermediate continental spread, a Trockniszeiger, growing on nitrogen-poor sites and a Klassencharakterart the lime - poor grassland ( Festuco - Brometea ).
Pharmacology, ingredients
For the root and the herb saponins and little essential oil are given as ingredients. The root is said to have low expectorant and antispasmodic effect, the herb a (weak) diuretic effect. In earlier times, the root was also used to produce diuretic and promoting menstruation drug Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of allegedly missing from it. Adverse effects is not known.
Species protection
- The field - man litter is specially protected by the BArtSchV.
- The rare amethyst broomrape ( Orobanche amethystea ) parasitized campestre Eryngium on.