Doronicum-glaciale_21b

Description:

Doronicum glaciale (Wulf.) NymanLeopard's Bane, DE: Gletscher-GemswurzSlo.: ledeniki divjakovecDat.: July 17.2014Lat.: 46.43937 Long.: 13.64560Code: Bot_813/2014_DSC1833Habitat: sparsely overgrown scree slope at the foot of mountain face, west aspect, calcareous ground with some acid rocks, sunny place, average precipitations ~3.000 mm/year, average temperature about 0 deg C, elevation 2.020 m (6.600 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil among scree and stones.Place: Mt. Mangart region, Mangart' plateau, scree slopes below west face of Mt. Mangart, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC.Comment: Doronicum glaciale is a beautiful, conspicuous high mountain plant, which often grows in large stands with many flowering stalks. Its golden heads may have up to 5 cm in diameter. The plant is hairy. The hairs are of different types and lengths and based on them some botanists distinguish subspecies taxa. Others claim that the hairiness of Doronicum glaciale is simply very variable and as such not sufficient to ground them. Doronicum glaciale can easily be confused with similar Doronicum grandiflorum, which is somewhat taller and grows in similar habitats. Shape and size of ground leaves is a good distinguishing feature. Leaves of Doronicum glaciale are narrower (from 1 to 2.5 cm) and transition from the leave bottom to the stalk is gradual. Leaves of Doronicum glaciale are broader (from 3 to 7 cm) and the leaf bottom is rounded or cordate (heart-shaped, with the notch at the base). Doronicum glaciale is endemic to southeast Alps and can be found only in Austria, Italy and Slovenia.Ref.:(1) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 2., Haupt (2004), p 532.(2) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije, Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007) (in Slovene), p 667. (3) H. Sauerbier, W. Langer, Alpenpflanzen: Endemiten von Nizza bis Wien (II), IHW-Verlag (2000), p116.(4) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora sterreich Liechtenstein, Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 914.