Günther's Site - Photos of European Plants


Plants of the Viernheim Heath (Inland Dunes)


East of Mannheim is Viernheim, and north-west of this village there is the 'Viernheimer Heide' (= heath) on both sides of the motorway A6. The shown area is kept free of wood because it is in a route of high voltage overhead cables. Its soil is the sand of inland dunes where the environment has extreme conditions e.g. dryness and high soil temperatures of up to 70 degrees celsius, which lead to special communities of plants. 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.
Erodium cicutarium / Common Crane's-Bill, Philary Geraniaceae / Crane's-Bill Fam.	Teesdalia nudicaulis / Shepherd's Cress Brassicaceae / Crucifers	Senecio vernalis / Eastern Groundsel Asteraceae / Composite Fam.
Arabidopsis thaliana / Thale Cress Brassicaceae / Crucifers	Draba spathulata / Pound-Podded Whitlowgrass Brassicaceae / Crucifers	Saxifraga tridactylites / Rue-Leaved Saxifrage Saxifragaceae / Saxifrage Fam.
Viola rupestris / Teesdale Violet Violaceae / Violet Fam.	Viola arvensis / Field Pansy Violaceae / Violet Fam.	Viola hirta / Hairy Violet Violaceae / Violet Fam.
Cerastium semidecandrum / Little Mouse-Ear Caryophyllaceae / Campion Fam.	Spergula morisonii / Pearlwort Spurrey Caryophyllaceae / Campion Fam.	Holosteum umbellatum / Jagged Chickweed Caryophyllaceae / Campion Fam.
Glechoma hederacea / Ground-Ivy Lamiaceae / Mint Fam.	Cardamine hirsuta / Hairy Bitter-Cress Brassicaceae / Crucifers	Senecio vulgaris / Groundsel Asteraceae / Composite Fam.
Potentilla incana / Sand Cinquefoil Rosaceae / Rose Fam.	Potentilla verna / Spring Cinquefoil Rosaceae / Rose Fam.	Potentilla argentea agg. / Hoary Cinquefoil Rosaceae / Rose Fam.
Mahonia aquifolium / Shining Oregon Grape, Tall Oregon Grape Berberidaceae / Barberry Fam.	Taraxacum sect. Ruderalia / Dandelion Asteraceae / Composite Fam.	Taraxacum tortilobum / Twisted-Lobed Dandelion Asteraceae / Composite Fam.
Myosotis stricta / Strict Forget-me-not, Small-Flowered Forget-me-not Boraginaceae / Borrage Fam.	Lamium amplexicaule / Henbit Dead-Nettle Lamiaceae / Mint Fam.	Lamium purpureum / Red Dead-Nettle Lamiaceae / Mint Fam.
Rumex tenuifolius / Narrow-Leaved Sheep's Sorrel Polygonaceae / Knotweed Fam.	Euphorbia cyparissias / Cypress Spurge Euphorbiaceae / Spurge Fam.	Alliaria petiolata / Garlic Mustard Brassicaceae / Crucifers
Luzula campestris / Field Wood-Rush Juncaceae / Rush Fam.	Setaria pumila / Yellow Bristle Grass Poaceae / Grass Fam.	Carex spicata / Spicate Sedge, Prickly Sedge Cyperaceae / Sedge Fam.
Pinus sylvestris / Scot's Pine Pinaceae / Pine Fam.	Prunus serotina / Rum Drupes Rosaceae / Rose Fam.	Cytisus scoparius / Scotch Broom Fabaceae / Legumes
Sisymbrium altissimum / Tall Rocket Brassicaceae / Crucifers	Turritis glabra / Tower Mustard Brassicaceae / Crucifers	Ornithopus perpusillus / Bird's-Foot Fabaceae / Legumes
Clinopodium acinos / Basil Thyme Lamiaceae / Mint Fam.	Helichrysum arenarium / Yellow Everlasting Daisy Asteraceae / Composite Fam.	Echium vulgare / Viper's Bugloss Boraginaceae / Borrage Fam.
Plantago arenaria / Branched Plantain Plantaginaceae / Plantain Fam.	Jasione montana / Sheep's Bit Campanulaceae / Bellflower Fam.	Trifolium arvense / Hare's-Foot Clover Fabaceae / Legumes
Potentilla recta / Sulphur Cinquefoil Rosaceae / Rose Fam.	Asparagus officinalis / Garden Asparagus, Wild Asparagus Asparagacae / Asparagus Fam.	Erigeron canadensis / Canadian Fleabane Asteraceae / Composite Fam.
The July aspect is determined by the purple of Centaurea stoebe
Centaurea stoebe / Panicled Knapweed Asteraceae / Composite Fam.	Centaurea stoebe / Panicled Knapweed Asteraceae / Composite Fam.	Erigeron annuus / Tall Fleabane Asteraceae / Composite Fam.
Verbascum densiflorum / Dense-flowered Mullein Scrophulariaceae / Figwort Fam.	Verbascum lychnitis / White Mullein Scrophulariaceae / Figwort Fam.	Carex arenaria / Sand Sedge Cyperaceae / Sedge Fam.
The following plants were found in the Viernheimer Heide years ago, but I have not seen them in recent years:
Gagea pratensis / Meadow Gagea Liliaceae / Lily Fam.	Potentilla intermedia / Downy Cinquefoil, Russian Cinquefoil Rosaceae / Rose Fam.	Draba muralis / Wall Whitlowgrass Brassicaceae / Crucifers
Naturally this list isn't complete. It will be continued on occasion. The pages on Nature Reserves near Sandhausen, as well as die Frühjahrsblüher and Sommerblüher south of Mannheim deal with the flora of inland dunes, too.