Image of Centaurea scabiosa subsp. fritschii (Hayek) Soo

Description:

Slo.: Fritschev glavinec - syn: Centaurea fritschii Hayek, Centaurea grinensis Reuter ssp. fritschii (Hayek) Dostal, Centaurea scabiosa ssp. grinensis (?) (Ref.1) - Habitat: partly overgrown, sandy and stony mountain slope, roadside; southeast aspect; calcareous, skeletal ground; locally open space, otherwise in mixed wood, Ostrya Carpinifolia; Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies, Fraxinus ornus, Corylus avellana dominant; partly sunny, relatively warm place; exposed to direct rain; elevation 420 m (1.400 feet); average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 8-10 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: sandy soil. Comment: Genus Knapweed (Centaurea) is taxonomically a difficult one. Fisher et all (2005) adds to all species names described in the Ref.1. signs (small black squares) which mean: ' ... taxonomically critical, the key states more problems than solutions...'. Plants are very variable, particularly their leaves. Centaurea scabiosa ssp. fritschii was at the beginning described on species level (Basio: Centaurea fritschii Hayek) and later shifted to subspecies level. It has only been botanically described at the beginning of the last century. Ref. 2 states that its distribution in Slovenia is not yet sufficiently studied. It should be endemic since it is known only from northeast most Italy, south Austria and Slovenia (Ref.3). But it is not included into the trilogy W. Langer / H. Sauerbier et all (1997-2005), Endemishe Pflanzen der Alpen (Ref.: 4, 5, 6). Anyway, an interesting plant, which is not at all rare in the Upper Soa valley. Eventually it builds yellowish-pink blooming hybrids with another very interesting, yellow blooming, knapweed Centaurea dichroantha Kern., which is a famous narrow endemic of Soa valley and a few valleys to the west in Italy. Ref.: (1) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 936. (2) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 685. (3) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 2., Haupt (2004), p 600. (4) H. Sauerbier, W. Langer, Alpenpflanzen: Endemiten von den Ligurischen Alpen bis zum Wiener Schneeberg (III), IHW-Verlag (2005). (5) H. Sauerbier, W. Langer, Alpenpflanzen: Endemiten von Nizza bis Wien (II), IHW-Verlag (2000). (6) W. Langer, H. Sauerbier, Endemishe Pflanzen der Alpen (I), IHW-Verlag (1997).