''Homogyne alpina'', the Alpine coltsfoot or purple colt's-foot,
is a
rhizomatous
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
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 ...
, which is often used as an
ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...
. In addition, this plant has purple-red flowers, and it is usually associated with the
gall flies ''
Ensina sonchi
''Ensina sonchi '' is a species of fly in the family Tephritidae , the gall flies. It is found in the Palearctic .Séguy, E. (1934) ''Diptères: Brachycères''. II. ''Muscidae acalypterae, Scatophagidae''. Paris: Éditions Faune de France 2 Bi ...
'' and ''
Acidia cognata
''Acidia cognata'' is a species of fly in the family Tephritidae.
Distribution
This species can be found in most of Europe, including Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, ...
''.
''Homogyne alpina'' is a perennial plant that reaches a height of 10 to 40 centimeters. The rhizome is creeping woolly and scaly. The stem is erect, reddish brown and often single head. It is hairy silvery-woolly, bare later and usually has 2 leaves on small scales. The leaves are basal, long-stalked, leathery, coarse and glossy dark green, the underside is lighter. The leaf blade is heart-kidney-shaped.
The baskets have a diameter up to 25 mm. The bracts are single row, crowded and hairy brown-red woolly at the base. The flowers are reddish and longer than the basket case, the corners are purple. The fruits have a long hair crown.
Flowering time is from May to August.
Occurrence
''Homogyne alpina'' comes in the mountains of South Central Europe at altitudes from 500 to 3 000 meters. The species grows on moist, humus-rich, mossy soil in coniferous forests, bushes and dwarf-shrub heath. It is common in the
U.K.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, known from a single location in
Angus
Angus may refer to:
Media
* ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film
* ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record''
Places Australia
* Angus, New South Wales
Canada
* Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario
* East Angus, Quebec
Scotland
* An ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, though it is uncertain whether the plant is native or introduced.
Similar species
The felt-like ''Homogyne discolor'' is characterized by the under side white, felty leaves.
References
*
* Xavier Finkenzeller, Jürke Gray: Alpine Flowers (Steinbach nature guide). Mosaic Verlag, Munich 1996, .
External links
''Homogyne alpina''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1815404
Senecioneae
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Flora of the Alps