Orobanche-teucrii_5

Description:

Orobanche teucrii Holandre, syn.: Orobanche atrorubens SchultzGermander Broomrape, DE: Gamander-Wrger, Gamander-SommerwurzSlo.: vrednikov pojalnikLat.: 46.36069 Long.: 13.70193Dat: May 28. 2016 (macro)Code: Bot_964/2016_DSC5618Picture file names: from Orobanche-teucrii_raw_5 to Orobanche-teucrii_raw_8,Habitat: dry grassland, mountain pasture; slightly inclined terrain at the foot of a mountain, southeast aspect; shallow soil layer on colluvial, calcareous, skeletal ground; full sun, relatively warm place, elevation 610 m (2.000 feet); average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil.Place: Lower Trenta valley, between villages Soa and Trenta, right bank of river Soa, Na Melu place, next to cottage Trenta 2b, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC.Comment: Orobanche teucrii is a rare, sporadic and hence not very well known plant. It grows manly in Central Europe from low land to subalpine elevations. One can find it in the Alps and surrounding regions from the Pyrenees to the Carpathians. Flora Alpina (Ref.: 5) knows it also from the Apennines while Kreutz's Orobanche monograph (Ref.:1) disagree with this statement. In Slovenian key (Ref.:4) it is marked as 'insufficiently known' plant. Orobanche teucrii is parasitic exclusively on genus Teucrium species, especially on Teucrium chamaedrys and Teucrium montanum. This and the fact that it is one of the most early blooming species of the genus Orobanche helps a lot in determination. It grows mainly in dry grassland and stony places. Generally it is quite a small plant among other mostly bigger Orobanche species, with few but relatively large flowers. Distinctive is also dark, brown-red-(orange) two lobed stigma. On this pasture both Teucrium chamaedrys and Teucrium montanum are common. I found a few more Orobanche teucrii plants on it but all of them grew within (mini)'bushes' of Teucrium chamaedrys. None could be associated with Teucrium montanum.Ref.:(1) C.A.J. Kreutz, Orobanche, The European broomrape species, Vol.1., Central and Northern Europe, Stichting Natuurpublicaties Limburg, Maastrich (1995), p 144.(2) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 618.(3) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 759.(4) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 578. (5) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 2., Haupt (2004), p 290.