Günther's Site - Photos of European Plants


Plants of the Inland Dunes south of Mannheim in Spring


The inland dune areas 'Unterer Dossenwald' and 'Hirschacker' are situated between Mannheim-Rheinau, Mannheim-Friedrichsfeld and Schwetzingen. Moreover the area of the Rheinau Lake, which is completely surrounded by buildings, is a valuable inland dune biotope. The inland dunes are wind-borne sand fields which came into being, when at the end of the ice age strong winds blew sand out of the gravel, which the then still meandering Rhine carried from the Alpes and deposited at its edges. Since there are extreme conditions of the environment, for example dryness and high temperature of the soil, special plant communities have developed here.
Spring view of the Hirschacker inland dunes with Euphorbia cyparissias, Ajuga genevensis, and the hardly visible Myosotis stricta.
Veronica praecox / Breckland Speedwell Plantaginaceae / Plantain Fam.	Senecio vernalis / Eastern Groundsel Asteraceae / Composite Fam.	Veronica arvensis / Wall Speedwell Plantaginaceae / Plantain Fam.
Ajuga genevensis / Blue Bugle Lamiaceae / Mint Fam.	Euphorbia cyparissias / Cypress Spurge Euphorbiaceae / Spurge Fam.	Vicia lathyroides / Spring Vetch Fabaceae / Legumes
Cerastium semidecandrum / Little Mouse-Ear Caryophyllaceae / Campion Fam.	Lamium purpureum / Red Dead-Nettle Lamiaceae / Mint Fam.	Draba verna agg. / Common Whitlowgrass Brassicaceae / Crucifers
Saxifraga tridactylites / Rue-Leaved Saxifrage Saxifragaceae / Saxifrage Fam.	Cynoglossum officinale / Hound's-Tongue Boraginaceae / Borrage Fam.	Myosotis stricta / Strict Forget-me-not, Small-Flowered Forget-me-not Boraginaceae / Borrage Fam.
Viola rupestris / Teesdale Violet Violaceae / Violet Fam.	Lycopsis arvensis subsp. arvensis / Bugloss Boraginaceae / Borrage Fam.	Potentilla verna / Spring Cinquefoil Rosaceae / Rose Fam.
Anthemis austriaca / Austrian Chamomile Asteraceae / Composite Fam.	Stipa joannis / Grey-Sheathed Feather-Grass Poaceae / Grass Fam.	Stipa capillata / Feather-Grass, Needle Grass Poaceae / Grass Fam.
Asparagus officinalis / Garden Asparagus, Wild Asparagus Asparagacae / Asparagus Fam.
In light wood, which consists partly from pines, partly from broadleaf trees as oaks or birches the following plants can be found among others:
Ajuga reptans / Bugle Lamiaceae / Mint Fam.	Ajuga x hybrida / Hybrid Bugle = Ajuga genevensis x reptans Lamiaceae / Mint Fam.	Luzula multiflora / Heath Wood-Rush Juncaceae / Rush Fam.

Naturally this list isn't complete. It will be continued on occasion. There is also a page on summer flowering plants in the same area. The pages on Nature Reserves near Sandhausen and the Viernheimer Heide deal with the flora of inland dunes, too.