Rhaponticum heleniifolium
Encyclopedia
Rhaponticum heleniifolium is a perennial herbaceous
flowering plant
of the genus Rhaponticum
, belonging to the Asteraceae
family.
, as its overwintering buds are situated just below the soil surface and the floral axis is more or less erect with a few leaves.
Rhaponticum heleniifolium reaches on average 50–150 cm (19.7–59.1 ) in height. The strong, thick, upright stem is quite leafy and hairy and usually has only one inflorescence. The leaves are green, while its underside is white-tomentose
. Regarding the morphology of leaf blades, this species (as the similar Rhaponticum scariosum
Lam.) is quite polymorphic. The basal leaves are usually lanceolate or elliptical and petiolated.. The flower heads are pink to purple, spherical and very large (about 6–10 cm (2.4–3.9 ) in diameter). The bracts are brownish and membranous. The flowering period extends from June to August.The flowers are hermaphroditic
and are pollinated by insects. The fruits are brown achenes. Rhaponticum heleniifolium subsp. heleniifolium has scales with acute apex and the leaves are much more elongated.
, France
, Switzerland
and Austria
.
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
of the genus Rhaponticum
Rhaponticum
Rhaponticum is a Genus of plants in the Asteraceae family.- Description :The Rhaponticum species are perennial herbaceous plants, with simple, rarely branched stem. The leaves are simple to pinnatifid. The inflorescence is on the apex of the stem...
, belonging to the Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
family.
Description
The biological form of Rhaponticum heleniifolium is hemicryptophyte scaposeGlossary of botanical terms
Many of the terms used in Wikipedia glossaries are already defined and explained within Wikipedia itself. However, lists like the following indicate where new articles need to be written and are also useful for looking up and comparing large numbers of terms together.This glossary is incomplete;...
, as its overwintering buds are situated just below the soil surface and the floral axis is more or less erect with a few leaves.
Rhaponticum heleniifolium reaches on average 50–150 cm (19.7–59.1 ) in height. The strong, thick, upright stem is quite leafy and hairy and usually has only one inflorescence. The leaves are green, while its underside is white-tomentose
Tomentose
Tomentose is a term used to describe plant hairs that are flattened and matted, forming a woolly coating known as tomentum. Often the hairs are silver or gray-colored...
. Regarding the morphology of leaf blades, this species (as the similar Rhaponticum scariosum
Rhaponticum scariosum
Rhaponticum scariosum, common name Giant Scabiosa, is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant of the genus Rhaponticum, belonging to the Asteraceae family.-Description:...
Lam.) is quite polymorphic. The basal leaves are usually lanceolate or elliptical and petiolated.. The flower heads are pink to purple, spherical and very large (about 6–10 cm (2.4–3.9 ) in diameter). The bracts are brownish and membranous. The flowering period extends from June to August.The flowers are hermaphroditic
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
and are pollinated by insects. The fruits are brown achenes. Rhaponticum heleniifolium subsp. heleniifolium has scales with acute apex and the leaves are much more elongated.
Distribution
This quite rare plant occurs in ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Habitat
It grows in western Alps in sub-alpine and alpine meadows and stony slopes. This plant prefers calcareous soils, at altitudes from 750 to 2500 meters.Synonyms
- Rhaponticum lyratum (DC.) Bergmans
- Leuzea rhapontica subsp. heleniifolia Holub
- Rhaponticum scariosum subsp. lyratum (DC.) Hayek
- Stemmacantha heleniifolia (Godr. & Gren.) Dittrich
- Rhaponticum scariosum subsp. heleniifolium (Godr. & Gren.) Nyman
- Stemmacantha rhapontica subsp. heleniifolia
- Stemmacantha heleniifolia subsp. heleniifolia
- Centaurea lyrata Bellardi
- Centaurea heleniifolia Fritsch