Lomelosia-graminifolia_12

Description:

Lomelosia graminifolia (L.) Greuter & Burdet, syn.: Asterocephalus graminifolius (L.) Spreng., Asterocephalus sericeus Jord. & Fourr., Scabiosa graminifolia L., Scabiosa sericea Jord., Succisa graminifolia (L.) MoenchFamily: CaprifoliaceaeEN: no name found, DE: Grasblttrige Skabiose, Sudalpen-GrasskabioseSlo.: travnolistni grintavecDat.: Aug. 12. 2019Lat.: 46.358449 Long.: 13.703102Code: Bot_1243/2019_DSC00309Habitat at both sites: at the bottom of a steep mountain ravine occasionally flooded by a torrent during heavy rain periods; among gravel and colluvial material, calcareous, sandy and stony ground; sunny, open places; elevation 535 m (1) (1.750 feet); and 545 m (2) (1.800 feet); average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 6-8 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: sandy soil among rocks.Place: Lower Trenta valley, between villages Soa and Trenta; right bank of river Soa, slightly upstream from the farmhouse Matev, Trenta 1, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC.Comment (applies to Flickr album): Lomelosia graminifolia is a very beautiful plant with narrow, silvery-silky-green leaves. These characteristic leaves distinguish it from all other eight species of this genus growing in Slovenia unmistakably. It is a relatively rare plant in Slovenia and also in Austria and Switzerland. There exist only about 60 documented occurrences of it in the Slovenian plant database FloVegSi. So far it has been found only once in the alpine phytogeographical region of the East Julian Alps. This site is located on the riverbank of Soa river downstream of the town Bovec The seeds were evidently deposited there by waters of the river. This, of cause, proves that the plant thrives somewhere in the mountains upstream of this site. Yet, it has never been found there. Nobody knew from which upstream valley the seeds origin. Did they come from the main Soa valley or from its tributaries Krajcarca, Lepenica or Vrsnica, or from Koritnica valley or Monica side valley? Waters of all these valleys join upstream of this site. This year I accidentally found the plant in the Lower Trenta valley on the right bank of the river Soa between villages Soa and Trenta at about 530 m elevation and about 20 m away of the water stream. Also here the seeds were evidently deposited by high waters, since the plant grew directly on the water deposited sand and gravel. Yet, the place was suspiciously high above the water level of the river Soa. It seemed quite improbable that, even at peak water levels, it itself could deposit the seeds there. The place of the find was at the same time on riverbed of a dry torrent in the ravine descending from the steep southeast slopes of the Mt. Bavki grintavec, 2.347 m. So, the seeds could eventually be deposited by the torrent waters. Indeed, I found another plant about 100 m higher in the ravine. Also here it bloomed just at the bottom of the ravine on a place at which not only vegetation but also sand and rocks are wiped off by gush torrent's waters during extremely rainy periods. This place obviously can't have any connection with Soa river waters. We were now fairly sure that the plant thrives somewhere on the southeast slopes of Mt. Bavki grintavec. A week or two after my first encounter with this plant we made a 'mini-excursion' up along the ravine and soon found another two plants. At about 750 m elevation the ravine splits into two branches. The left, main branch continues toward Mt. Bavki grintavec peak, the right branch heads up toward Zapotoki vrh, 1.941 m and Velika vrata mountain pass. On the left fork of the ravine we found nothing (needs further visits), but in the right fork we found another two plants. Apparently on all these new sites the plants were also deposited by water and hence they do not represent their original growing place. Climbing further up, at the elevation of about 900 m, we were prevented to continue by approximately 20 m high vertical, unpassable cliffs (during heavy rain periods a beautiful waterfall appears there temporary) and we had to give up our searching. Thus we haven't yet found the original place where this rare plant thrives, however we are pretty sure the place must be somewhere on southeast slopes of Mt. Bavki grintavec and/or south slopes of Mt. Zapotoki vrh. Fortunately, there is a way around these cliffs, a hunter's trail, which will, we hope, allow us to continue to search along the ravine above the cliffs until we find the 'sacred place'. Next year, hopefully! Ref.:(1) Personal communication and common trip with Dr. Igor Dakskobler, Scientific Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. (2) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 801.(3) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 501. (4) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 2., Haupt (2004), p 424.(5) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 1028.