Asyneuma compactum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Asyneuma compactum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Campanulaceae |
| Genus: | Asyneuma |
| Species: | A. compactum |
| Binomial name | |
| Asyneuma compactum Damboldt | |
| Varieties | |
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Asyneuma compactum is a species of flowering plant in the bellflower family (Campanulaceae) that grows exclusively in the Taurus Mountains of Turkey. This perennial alpine plant forms compact cushions of leaves in rocky, windswept habitats at elevations between 1,600 and 2,700 metres. It produces distinctive deep violet-blue flowers with petals that separate almost completely, a characteristic that distinguishes its genus from related bellflowers. The species exists in two varieties: the typical form (var. compactum) which prefers drier exposed sites, and var. eriocarpum, identified in 2000, which grows in more sheltered areas near melting snow with better soil conditions.
Asyneuma compactum is a perennial plant that forms dense, compact cushions with rosettes of leaves. The plant typically grows to modest heights, though some specimens can reach up to 20 cm tall depending on growing conditions. It has a stout taproot system that anchors it in rocky mountain terrain.[1]
The plant's rosette leaves are narrow and somewhat spoon-shaped (spathulate), measuring about 2–3 mm wide. The leaf margins may be entire or slightly toothed. Both the stems and leaves can vary in hairiness (indumentum), ranging from nearly hairless (glabrous) to moderately hairy depending on the population.[1]
One of the plant's most distinctive features is its flowering stems, which are typically short and bear 1–3 flowers, though sometimes more. The flowers have a deep violet-blue corolla (the collective term for the petals) that is divided nearly to the base into narrow linear lobes. This nearly complete division of the corolla is characteristic of the genus Asyneuma and distinguishes it from the related genus Campanula (bellflowers).[1]
The flowers undergo a developmental change during their life cycle: in early (male) stage, the corolla appears more tube-like and is divided only partway down, resembling Campanula flowers. Later, in the female stage, the petals separate completely into free lobes. The calyx (the outer green parts of the flower) has lobes that are 4–5 mm long, about as long as the tube. The fruit is a capsule that opens by pores to release seeds.[1]