Image of Cerastium carinthiacum ssp. carinthiacum

Description:

Slo.: koroka smiljka - Habitat: Crevices of a medium size limestone boulder on mountain pasture, southwest aspect, open place, full sun, exposed to direct rain and wind, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature about 0 deg C, elevation 2.040 m (6.700 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. - Substratum: soil in a rock crevice. - Comments: Cerastium carinthiacum ssp. carinthiacum is an endemic plant known only from east part of the Alps. Genus Cerastium is difficult to treat taxonomically and not sufficiently studied in Slovenia (Ref.:3). There are quite a few taxa, which grow in neighboring countries Italia and Austria, which haven't been found in Slovenia in spite of expectations and apparently sufficiently similar environment. Literature also disagrees in some points. For example Cerastium carinthiacum ssp. carinthiacum is described as an almost glabrous plant, while close alternative determination option Cerastium carinthiacum ssp. austroalpinum is described as densely glandular hairy in Ref.: 2 and Ref.: 4.. Just the opposite situation is stated in Ref.: 3. The plants photographed have conspicuous glandular hairs (see picture 1c) and fit to the description of Cerastium carinthiacum ssp. carinthiacum according to Ref.: 3. Ref.: 5 considers it a rare plant in the Julian Alps. - Ref.: (1) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 294. (2) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 329. (3) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 169. (4) L. Fenaroli, Flora delle Alpi: Vegetazione e flora delle Alpi e degli altri monti d'Italia, Aldo Martello Editore (1971), p 85. (5) T. Wraber, 2 x Sto alpskih rastlin na Slovenskem (2x 100 Alpine Plants of Slovenia) (in Slovenian), Preernova druba (2006), p 31