Trientalis europaea
Encyclopedia
Trientalis europaea is a plant in the Myrsinaceae
family
, called by the common name chickweed wintergreen or Arctic starflower. It is a small herbaceous
perennial plant
with one or more whorls of obovate leaves. The leaves take on a copper hue in late summer. The solitary white flowers (1-2 cm diameter, usually with 6-8 petals) appear in midsummer. Trientalis europaea occurs throughout boreal regions of Europe and Asia, but is largely replaced by Trientalis borealis
in correponding habitats in North America.
This is a woodland
indicator species
, and in Scotland
it is found on acid, organic soils, mainly in pine, birch and oak woodland and moorland which has supported woodland in the past. The plant is a weak competitor, rarely reproducing by seed but forming extensive clonal populations interconnected by rhizomes during the growing season. The rhizomes and above-ground parts are deciduous, the plant forming overwintering tuber
s. The range of the plant is changing little in Scotland, but it has declined in northern England due to woodland clearance and moor burning. It is classified as an endangered plant in some areas .
The flower is the provincial flower of the Värmland
province in Sweden
.
Myrsinaceae
Myrsinaceae, or the Myrsine family, is a rather large family from the order Ericales. It consists of 35 genera and about 1000 species....
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, called by the common name chickweed wintergreen or Arctic starflower. It is a small herbaceous
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
with one or more whorls of obovate leaves. The leaves take on a copper hue in late summer. The solitary white flowers (1-2 cm diameter, usually with 6-8 petals) appear in midsummer. Trientalis europaea occurs throughout boreal regions of Europe and Asia, but is largely replaced by Trientalis borealis
Trientalis borealis
Trientalis borealis is a North American woodland perennial, it is also known as the Starflower. The starflower grows up to 9 inches tall and has one or two white flowers which consist of seven petals that form a star-like shape. The flowers are found on top of stalks which are above the lanceolate...
in correponding habitats in North America.
This is a woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
indicator species
Indicator species
An indicator species is any biological species that defines a trait or characteristic of the environment. For example, a species may delineate an ecoregion or indicate an environmental condition such as a disease outbreak, pollution, species competition or climate change...
, and in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
it is found on acid, organic soils, mainly in pine, birch and oak woodland and moorland which has supported woodland in the past. The plant is a weak competitor, rarely reproducing by seed but forming extensive clonal populations interconnected by rhizomes during the growing season. The rhizomes and above-ground parts are deciduous, the plant forming overwintering tuber
Tuber
Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction...
s. The range of the plant is changing little in Scotland, but it has declined in northern England due to woodland clearance and moor burning. It is classified as an endangered plant in some areas .
The flower is the provincial flower of the Värmland
Värmland
' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are Vermelandia and Wermelandia. Although the province's land originally was Götaland, the...
province in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.