Saxifraga-stellaris_13

Description:

Saxifraga stellaris ssp. alpigena TenesyStarry Saxifrage, DE: Sternbltiger SteinbrechSlo.: zvezdasti kreDat.: July 22. 2008Lat.: 46.43846 Long.: 13.63398Code: Bot_286/2008_DSC2012Habitat: road side; almost vertical rocks, thickly overgrown with mosses, over which water is trickling; south aspect; calcareous rock; full sun; elevation 1.780 m (5.850 feet); average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 1-3 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil in rock crevices.Place: Mt. Mangart region, somewhat before the last tunnel of alpine tool road to Mt. Mangart's pass, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC Comment: Saxifraga stellaris ssp. alpigena is a very small, tender plant not frequently encountered by humans. It too perfectly signifies an antithesis of modern 'Big is beautiful!'. Yet, to those, who are willing to kneel down and look it from close, it becomes a source of joy and admiration. The plant keeps with very moist places high in the calcareous mountains, and since such habitats are not many it is not frequent. On the other hand, it is also not a rare plant. It is very broadly distributed. It grows in the whole Alps and other central and southern European mountains including whole Balkan Peninsula as well as in Arctic regions of America and Eurasia. Very similar relative Saxifraga stellaris ssp. stellaris exists, which replaces it in the North Europe. Ref.:(1) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 397.(2) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 241. (3) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 690.(4) T. Wraber, 2 x Sto alpskih rastlin na Slovenskem (2 x 100 Alpine Plants of Slovenia) (in Slovenian), Preernova druba (2006), p 63.(5) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 184.