Lysimachia europaea
| Chickweed wintergreen | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Primulaceae |
| Genus: | Trientalis |
| Species: | T. europaea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Trientalis europaea | |
Trientalis europaea is a flowering plant in the primrose family Primulaceae, called by the common name chickweed-wintergreen[1] or arctic starflower.[2] It is a small herbaceous perennial plant with one or more whorls of obovate leaves.[3] 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 corresponding habitats in North America.[citation needed]
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 tubers. The range of the plant is changing little in Scotland, but it has declined in northern England due to woodland clearance and moor burning.
The flower is the provincial flower of the Värmland province in Sweden.
References
- ^ "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Trientalis europaea". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ TAYLOR LK, HAVILL DC, PEARSON J, WOODALL J (2002) Trientalis europaea. Journal of Ecology 90, 404–418
