''Cotula alpina'', also known as the alpine cotula, is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

herb in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

. It is a small

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

that forms ground covering mats and is well adapted to alpine environments. 20041004-cotualpi3899

Description

Alpine cotula has flat glabrous light-green leaves that are pinnately divided almost to the midrib.Kirkpatrick, J. (1997) ''Alpine Tasmania: An Illustrated Guide to the Flora and Vegetation''. South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. Pg 71Whiting, J., Roberts, J., Reeves, R., Tayler, F. & Tayler, V. (2004) Tasmania's Natural Flora. Ulverstone, TAS: Tasmania's Natural Flora Editorial Committee. Pg 37 It forms a large number of rosettes which lie just above ground level while the leaves are hairless and between 1–3 cm in length and 5–10 mm wide. They are slow growing plants and are often stoloniferous."''Cotula alpina''" PlantNET- New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. Retrieved 5 March 2018 It can be easily confused with '' Leptinella filicula'' which has similar looking leaves and is also part of the family Asteraceae. Flowering occurs from spring through to summer. Each rosette produces a single yellow to cream flower, about 7 mm in diameter. They are at the top of erect stalks that are generally shorter than the leaves but extend further when fruiting. A unique characteristic of ''C. alpina'' is that the flower-bearing stalks are hollow. 20050926-cotualpi0121

Distribution and habitat

''Cotula alpina'' is found in heath, short

herbfield Herbfields are plant communities dominated by herbaceous plants, especially forbs and grasses. They are found where climatic conditions do not allow large woody plants to grow, such as in subantarctic and alpine tundra environments. Herbfield is ...

and

tussock grassland Tussock grassland is a form of open grassland that is dominated by tussock grasses (also called bunchgrasses). It is common in some temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregions of the Southern Hemisphere. Tussock grasslands are usually ...

s in alpine and

sub-alpine Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

areas. It is common in the Central Plateau and Midlands of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and can also be found at high altitudes in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. The herb can survive in shade to full sun and requires high moisture levels for growth. It can also tolerate clay, loam and sandy soil types and is phosphorus intolerant. It can survive through exposed environmental conditions including high winds and low temperatures including snow and frosts."''Cotula alpina''" Understory Network. Understory Network Incorporated, Glenorchy Tasmania, Australia. Retrieved 5 March 2018 It has been reported to show grazing resistance.Bridle, K. L. & Kirkpatrick, J. B. (1998) "Why do tall herbs rarely dominate Tasmanian alpine vegetation? Evidence from islands in the Ouse River system". ''Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania''. 132 pg. 9-14

Seed and germination

''Cotula aplina'' has achenes, which are hard, dry fruit which contain a single seed. As the seed matures, the achenes loosen towards the top and develops a fluffy appearance. The seeds are 1.5–2 mm long, compressed laterally and germination can occur after 2 to 4 weeks.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15551980

alpina Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH & Co. KG is an automobile manufacturing company based in Buchloe, in the Ostallgäu district of Bavaria, Germany that develops and sells high-performance versions of BMW cars. Alpina works closely with BMW an ...