Image of Italian lords and ladies

Description:

Slo.: laki kanik - Habitat: on the edge of an abandoned field, next to a stony wall delimiting the fields and under old olive trees; flat terrain, partly sunny and dry place; calcareous ground, exposed to direct rain, elevation 80 m (260 feet), average precipitations 1.000-1.200 mm/year, average temperature 13 - 15 deg C, Mediterranean phytogeographical region. - Substratum: red Kars soil. - Comment: This plant has very interesting structure of 'flowers'. What one can see on my pictures among leaves are not flowers. What appears as a flower is 'spathe'- a large yellowish leaf surrounding inflorescence, which is developed arounda swollen axis - spadix - with a yellow, cylindrical, terminal appendage. Only the appendage can be seen from outside. The small unisexual flowers are attached to spadix below the appendage and are hidden and enveloped by the spathe. Female flowers sit below male flowers. Both are separated by a ring of hair-like sterile flowers. Above the male flowers there sit additional sterile flowers. This unusual arrangement serves better cross-pollination by preventing self-pollination. - Plants photographed were growing in groups of several individuals and are quite common on island Krk. - Ref.: - (1) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije, Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007) (in Slovene), p 935. (2) R. Domac, Flora Hrvatske, Prirunik za odreivanje bilja, kolska Knjiga, Zgreb, II. izdanje (2002), p 469. (3) M. Blamey, C. Grey-Wilson, Wild Flowers of the Mediterranean, A & C Black, London (2005), p 503.