Saxifraga paniculata
Grape saxifrage ( Saxifraga paniculata ) in the Zillertal Alps
The panicles - saxifrage ( Saxifraga paniculata Mill, syn. Saxifraga aizoon Jacq., Chondrosea aizoon ( Jacq. ) Haw. ), Also called racemic Saxifrage or evergreen saxifrage, belongs to the genus Saxifrage ( Saxifraga ).
Description
The plant is about 5 to 30 cm high. The evergreen, fleshy leaves form a wide and six inches hemispherical rosette cushion. The leaves differ as in the blue-green saxifrage ( S. caesia ) active lime on the edge and are often coated with a light gray limestone layer. The basal leaves are 3-6 mm long and are ovate, ciliate short. The white to yellowish, often rotgepunkteten flowers are about 8 to 15 mm. They are available in loose panicle grapes on mostly glandular hairy stem. The panicle branches are one-to dreiblütig.
The flowering time is according to altitude May to August.
The species has the chromosome number 2n = 28
Occurrence
The lime-loving plant prefers rocky as a location alpine meadows, rock crevices and corridors to the alpine altitude ( about 3,400 m). It is a sociological Ordnungscharakterart the Potentilletalia caulescentis. According to observations in the Swabian Alb of Grape saxifrage comes humilis in Drabo - Hieracietum, in Diantho - Festucetum pallescentis and Valeriano - Seslerietum ago. The circulation area covers Europe in the mountains of the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines, the Carpathians to the mountains of the Balkan peninsula. But also occurs in Iceland and Norway and settled (usually in special sub-species or varieties ) and the mountains in Eurasia and North America.
Ecology
The plant is very drought tolerant and hardy and therefore well adapted to extreme site conditions. The angle of the blade teeth have water columns ( hydathodes ), which deposit calcareous active water to reduce the excess of lime. After evaporation of the water small Kalkschüppchen remain there. Evergreen, small leaves use every ray of sunshine, the water supply is protected in the fleshy leaves with a thick cuticle arrangement in rosettes, innate resistance to frost. At free of snow blown points assimilation is possible even in winter.
According to observations in the Swabian Alb, the species is light -loving, bear partial shade, but tends to avoid full sun south exposition. It grows on calcareous rocks, especially on rocky heads and Felsgesimsen, on consolidated rock debris. But they did not rooted with the main root in columns, but with many finer roots in the thin humus layer over the rocks, like being with carpet -forming mosses.
The flowers are " nectar leading disk flowers "; they are pronounced vormännlich; the stylus develop until after dusting the dust bag. The two-bladed ovary ends in 2 free pencils. The yellow spots at the base of the petals strengthen the impact of the stamens and replace it after the dropping of the anther ( Antherenimitation ). Dis is to prevent pollinators avoid the flowers outside the male phase. About 90 species of insects, mainly flies, come as pollinators in question. The flowering time is according to altitude May to August.
The fruits are loculicidal capsules. The very small seeds are spread as granules flyer. Fruit ripening takes place in September. Vegetative propagation is done by up to 4 cm long streamers.