Pagina 52 - Juliana_Book_eng

52
the top, while the anthers are light blue.
In Slovenia, the southern globethistle grows in karst meadows and montane
pastures. It can be found on the southern slopes of Trnovski gozd, on Mt
Nanos and in Čičarija. The general distribution extends to Spain and the Near
East.
Epimedium alpinum L. – Barren-wort
This plant is an up to half a metre tall perennial herb with twice ternate leaves.
The flowers have four blood-red sepals and four yellow petals and are arranged
in a loose raceme.
The species can be found in forests and on forest margins in the Alps and
Breginjski kot, in the Nadiža Valley in the surroundings of Kobarid, and
elsewhere in Slovenia. The general distribution extends to southern Europe.
The species probably survived glaciations in the Balkans, from where it spread
to the Southern Alps.
The British and Germans call it also ‘Bishop’s Hat’, owing to the characteristic
shape of the flowers.
Epipactis atrorubens (Hoffm. ex Bernh.) Besser – Dark red
Helleborine
This plant is up to 60 cm tall, with an often reddish or violet stem bearing
lanceolate leaves and flowers arranged in loose inflorescences. The tepals are
dark scarlet, sometimes violet, and smell of vanilla.
The species grows in open forests and on dry grassy slopes from the lowlands
to the montane belt in the whole of Slovenia. The general distribution extends
widely in Europe and Asia (Caucasus and Iran).
Although the species of this genus are called ‘marshy plants’ in the Slovenian
language, only one of them is a true marsh plant, while the others grow in dry
and warm sites.
Eryngium alpinum L. – Alpine Eryngo
Although the alpine eryngo belongs to the family Apiaceae, it reminds us of
thistles, owing to its very unusual inflorescence surrounded by an involucre of
picturesquely shaped and metallic blue, radiating bracts.
The plant is distributed in the Jura, Alps and in the western part of the Balkans.
The best known alpine eryngo’s sites in Slovenia are at Črna prst and Porezen.
The natives of Bohinj call it the “queen of the Alps”. In the 19th century, it was
also abundant at Golica and in the Karavanke Mts. Shepherds called it
“sleepyhead”, as it was put into the cradles of restless babies and was supposed
to bring them a peaceful sleep. The plant’s natural occurrence in the Karavanke
Mts is questionable today. In Slovenia, it can thus be found with certainty in
the Julian Alps only.
Eryngium amethystinum L. – Amethyst Eryngo
This plant is a member of the family Apiaceae, although at first sight it does
not remind us of the characteristic representatives of this family, such as those
of parsley or carrot.
The amethyst eryngo has tiny flowers grouped in ovate inflorescences
surrounded by thorny bracts, which are green at first, but eventually turn
characteristically blue, like the upper parts of the plant.
It thrives on dry rocky slopes, in pastures, open woodlands and shrublands,
being most common in the Kras (Karst) region. In the Alpine district it can be
found in the Soča Valley and at Breginjski kot. The species has been found