Plancia ëd Asperula cynanchica L.

Descrission:

Slo.: hribska perla - syn.: Asperula vauviniae Desp. - Habitat: dry pasture, mixed wood edge, moderately southeast inclined foot of a mountain, open sunny place; calcareous ground, old overgrown scree slope; exposed to direct rain, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, elevation 653 m (2.080 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. - Substratum: soil - Comment: This typical species of dry, warm calcareous pastures is very inconspicuous because of its only a few mm large flowers. However, it is not a rare plant. On the other hand, it is limited to Central and Southeast Europe. Historically it had been used in medicine to cure quinsy, but after invention of much more effective antibiotics it was forgotten. May be it comes in again after modern debacle of antibiotics? - Four species of this genus grow in Slovenia. The flowers of all of them are in the shape of nice trumpets. Asperula cynanchica is certainly 'soprano trumpet' among them - the smallest one. - Ref.: (1) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije, Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007) (in Slovene), p 516. (2) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora sterreich Liechtenstein, Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 703. (3) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 760. (4) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 2., Haupt (2004), p 346. (5) Rothmaler 3, Exkursionsflora von Deutschland, 11. Aufl., Elsevier, Spectrum (2007), p 395.