Pagina 53 - Juliana_Book_eng

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even in the vicinity of Ljubljana. The general distribution extends to Italy, Sicily and the Balkans.
Our renowned botanist Tone Wraber wrote that this is a “true Karst inhabitant”.
Eupatorium cannabinum L. subsp. cannabinum – Hemp-agrymony
This plant with richly leafy stems can reach to 2 m in height. The flowers, all
tubular, are gathered in narrow, cylindrical heads. The corolla is dirty pink or
almost white.
The species grows in clearings os damp and open forests and in rather humid
sites, from the lowlands to the montane belt, all over Slovenia. The general
distribution encompasses almost the whole of Europe, Asia and America.
The species is also a medicinal plant, since it contains bitter substances,
essential oils and tannins. It is generally used to alleviate colds.
Euphorbia amygdaloides L. subsp. amygdaloides – Wood Spurge
Spurges are plants with a milky sap and a characteristic inflorescence called
cyathium. The latter consists of a single pedunculate female flower devoid of
perianth, surrounded by 5 male flowers, which are usually reduced to a single
stamen. The flowers are surrounded by five bracts, which are grown into a cup-
shaped structure. The generic name refers to Euphorbus, who was the doctor of
the Mauritanian King Juba.
The wood spurge is a perennial plant with a woody main shoot, 30-60 cm tall,
equipped with slightly hairy leaves. The basal rosette of leaves survives the
winter, and eventually flowering stems grow from it. In Slovenia, it is also
called wheeler, given that its rosette is reminiscent of a wheel.
It is common in forests, clearings, glades and amongst shrubs from the
lowlands to treeline all over Slovenia. The general distribution extends form Europe to Asia.
Galatella linosyris (L.) Rchb.f. subsp. linosyris – Goldilocks Aster
(Aster linosy ris)
This is a 20-50 cm tall perennial plant. The stem is equipped with numerous
linear leaves. The heads, gathered in inflorescences, have only tubular flowers
of a yellow colour.
In Slovenia, this species can be found on dry sunward slopes, in shrublands and
glades, from the lowlands to the montane belt in the submeditteranean,
prealpine and subpannonian regions. The general distribution extends to
southern, western and central Europe, the Caucasus, Armenia and Algeria.
In the Juliana Botanical Garden, the plant blossoms late and can still be seen in
September and even in October.
Genista sericea Wulfen – Silky Broom
The generic name Genista is a Latin term for one of the brooms, although it
may be derived from the Celtic gen , meaning a small bush. The Plantagenets,
the English ruling family of Frankish origin, derived its name from that of
brooms.
Genista sericea is a semibrush with stems which are woody and branched at
the base. The leaves are simple, oblong, hairless above, silky-hairy beneath,
after which the plant was given its species name, both in Latin and in
Slovenian. The papilionaceous flowers are arranged in racemese; the corolla is
bright yellow, the standard and keel are silky-hairy.
The species was described more than two centuries ago by the naturalist and
botanist Franc Ksaver Wulfen, mentor to Karel Zois and Franc Hladnik. He
spent a few years in (Italian) Gorizia and carried out a research on the plants of Slovenia. In its professional description
he wrote that he “quite often came across this gorgeous plant, which always grows out of limestone rock crevices, more
or less in early June, blossoming in the mountains between Opicina and Trieste”. This line was translated into
Slovenian by Tone Wraber in his work A Hundred Distinguished Plants of Slovenia.