Ranunculus glacialis

Glacier Buttercup ( Ranunculus glacialis )

The glacier buttercup (Ranunculus glacialis ) is a particularly high increase plant of the family Ranunculaceae ( Ranunculaceae ).

Description

The glacier buttercup is an overwintering green, perennial, herbaceous plant that reaches stature heights between 5 and 20 centimeters. The plant parts are mostly bare. The palmate leaves are stalked at the base. They are shiny, fleshy and have three to five gross stumpfzähnige cloth. The stem leaves are sessile and less deeply divided with lanceolate lobes.

The color of the flowers change from white to pink to dark red at first and they have a diameter of 3 inches. A rust-brown hair covers the outside of the sepals. Crown and chalice not fall off when fading and remain until the fruit ripening - in contrast to all other buttercup species. The flowering period extends from July to August.

The glacier crowfoot is diploid and the chromosome number is 2n = 16

Ecology

The glacier buttercup is a Hemikryptophyt. It often grows in the protection of Eisüberhängen that act like a greenhouse; could he be one of the highest ascending plants. It is the Glacier Buttercup one of the physiologically most studied alpine plants.

This plant takes two to three growing seasons before they can form blooms. Despite the extremely frost-prone sites, the glossy green leaves no visible environmental adaptations. Perhaps this is due to a frost resistance of the protoplasm.

In the worst summers the reserve substances in the leaves are transferred back to the roots and buds formed already degraded again.

The most homogamous flowers are pollinated by flies.

The fruits are flat, winged nuts, which propagate as a glider pilot in Adhäsionshafter; next to a processing spread for example, by snow finches.

The glacier buttercup buttercup is like all poisonous.

Occurrence

Especially in the central chain of the Alps and in the Pyrenees, Carpathian Mountains, Scandinavia and the Arctic, this type is represented. In the Alps, calcium deficiency debris, moraine, scree and bare rock at an altitude of 2300 m to over 4200 m ( Finstaarhorn ) are preferred.