This species with a wide circumboreal distribution is present, with four subspecies, in all regions of Italy. The subspecies chondrosperma, which has a sub-Atlantic-Mediterranean distribution, is present in almost all regions of Italy except in the Valle d'Aosta, Friuli Venezia Giulia and perhaps Puglia and Basilicata. It grows in ditches, ephemeral pools, wet sandy fields, from sea level to the alpine belt; the species was once more common, and today is in strong decline. It is very rare in the outer belt of the Sardinian temporary ponds. The genus is dedicated to the Italian botanist Lorenzo Gaetano Monti (1712-1797); the species name refers to the habitat, while the name of the subspecies comes from the Greek 'khondrós' (lump, grain) and 'sperma' (seed) and therefore means 'with grainy seeds'. Flowering period: April to August. |
