Image of Alyssum ovirense A. Kern.

Description:

Slo.: obirski grobelnik - Alyssum ovirense Kerner, syn.: Alyssum heinzii Ullepisch, Alyssum cuneifolium Ten. ssp. ovirense (Kerner) Wettst. - Habitat: steep, south oriented, high mountain scree slope, calcareous ground; full sun, relatively moist place, exposed to direct rain, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 1-3 deg C, elevation 1.885 m (6.180 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. - Substratum: soil pockets hidden deep under surface scree. - Comment: Alyssum ovirense is a quite a rare alpine jewel of strictly alpine elevations. Its distribution area is very small and encompasses Julian Alps, Karavanke Alps and KamnikAlps, which spreads slightlyinto south most Austria also.Toward the west it grows scattered also in northeast most Italian Alps. The plant was discovered on mountain Obir in Austria that is in the extreme north part of its distribution area but it is known also from southeast Dinaric Mountains of Balkan peninsula in Herzegovina and Montenegro. - Alyssum ovirense is a very beautiful with its big (relatively to the short stalks mostly hidden among stones and small leafs), vividly yellow flowers growing apparently from bare white calcareous stones. Every encounter with it is a happy adventure. The flowering stalks have small elongated leafs, while sterile stalks have surprisingly different, almost round leafs densely covered by regular star like hairs. 'Peski' place was in 2007 covered by hundreds of yellow flowers growing in groups of many plants covering a long scree slope. - Ref.: (1) T. Wraber, 2 x Sto alpskih rastlin na Slovenskem, Preernova druba (2006) (in Slovene), p 56. (2) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 544. (3) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije, Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007) (in Slovene), p 443.