Campanula-zoysii_17

Description:

Campanula zoysiiSlo.: Zoisova zvonicaDat.: July 25. 2013Lat.: 46.43849 Long.: 13.63009Code: Bot_736/2013_DSC7265andDat.: Aug. 05. 2013Lat.: 46.43849 Long.: 13.63009Code: Bot_739/2013_IMG3868Habitat: vertical face made of limestone rock, in rock crevices, south-east oriented, full sun, exposed to precipitations, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 1-3deg C, elevation 1.780 m (5.850 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil in rock crevices.Place:Mt. Mangart's alpine road cut, slightly before the last,fifth tunnel, above the road, Mangart's flats, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC. Comment: Campanula zoysii is a narrow endemic plant of South-east Alps. It grows almost exclusively in Slovenia. Partly one can find it also across the border in the most east Venetian Alps in Italy and on north slopes of Karavanke mountains and Kamnik Alps (Kamnike alpe), which represent the extreme southern parts of Austria. In Austria and in Slovenia it is protected by law (Uredba o zavarovanih prosto iveih rastlinskih vrstah, Uradni list RS, t. 46/2004 ) and enlisted in the Slovene 'Red List of rare and endangered species', marked by "O" representing a potentially endangered species. However, to my experience it is neither rare nor endangered. One can find it on many places in high enough regions of Julian Alps growing on bare, stony, many times inaccessible places and most frequently on vertical and also overhanging rock faces and in crevices of large calcareous boulders. Regarding its endangerment it is too small to be of interest for flower pickers and inhabits places without any potential commercial uses. The flower is unique among about thirty different Campanula species growing in Slovenia by the fact that the entrance to its 'bell', and hence pollen too, remains always closed for insects. This poses an interesting evolutional riddle. Nevertheless, some insects have learned how to drill small holes on the side of closed flowers and enter the it like burglars.Ref.:(1) A.Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije, Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 626. (2) M.A.Fischer, W.Adler, K.Oswald, ExkursionsfloraOesterreich Liechtenstein, Suedtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 847.