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Plants of the Inland Dunes south of Mannheim in Summer
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 during the ice ages strong winds blew sand out of the gravel, which the then still meandering Rhine carried from the Alpes and deposited at its edges. The inland dunes came into being when at the end of the ice ages 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 very high soil temperatures of up to 70 degrees celsius in summer, special communities of plants have formed here.
Helichrysum arenarium / Yellow Everlasting Daisy Asteraceae / Composite Fam.		Plantago arenaria / Branched Plantain Plantaginaceae / Plantain Fam.		Berteroa incana / Hoary Alyssum Brassicaceae / Crucifers
Helianthemum nummularium / Common Rock-Rose Cistaceae / Rockrose Fam.		Salsola kali subsp. ruthenica / Russian Thistle, Glasswort Amaranthaceae / Amaranth Fam.		Teucrium botrys / Cut-Leaved Germander Lamiaceae / Mint Fam.
Scabiosa canescens / Fragrant Scabious Caprifoliaceae / Honeysuckle Fam.		Sedum acre / Biting Stonecrop Crassulaceae / Stonecrop Fam.		Jasione montana / Sheep's Bit Campanulaceae / Bellflower Fam.
Also the fauna of the inland dunes is highly specialised: for example the Sand Wasp Bembix rostrata (left) which digs a subway up to 20 centimeters deep for every egg and supplies the offspring with paralysed insects, or the Northern Dune Tiger Beetle Cicindela hybrida (right) which is walking jerkily and is catching other insects.
The White Mullein Verbascum lychnitis of which the flower is only white here is the most frequent of several species of this genus:
Verbascum lychnitis / White Mullein Scrophulariaceae / Figwort Fam.		Verbascum densiflorum / Dense-flowered Mullein Scrophulariaceae / Figwort Fam.		Verbascum nigrum / Dark Mullein Scrophulariaceae / Figwort Fam.
Ononis repens subsp. procurrens / Common Restharrow Fabaceae / Legumes		Thymus serpyllum / Breckland Thyme Lamiaceae / Mint Fam.		Echium vulgare / Viper's Bugloss Boraginaceae / Borrage Fam.
Reseda lutea / Wild Mignonette Resedaceae / Mignonette Fam.		Senecio inaequidens / Narrow-Leaved Ragwort Asteraceae / Composite Fam.		Ambrosia coronopifolia / Perennial Ragweed Asteraceae / Composite Fam.
In the loose pine wood Cross-Leaved Gentian Gentiana cruciata as well as Dark-red Helleborine Epipactis atrorubens and Broad-Leaved Helleborine Epipactis helleborine are some of the more rare plants.     Gentiana cruciata / Cross-Leaved Gentian Gentianaceae / Gentian Fam.		Epipactis atrorubens, Dark-red Helleborine Orchidaceae / Orchids		Epipactis helleborine, Broad-Leaved Helleborine Orchidaceae / Orchids
Also some neophytes have settled in the sunny sand dunes, but in 2014 the nature protection authorities seem to have removed the Nightshades while the Goosefoot is eaten by rabbits.
Dysphania botrys / Sticky Goosefoot, Jerusalem Oak Amaranthaceae / Amaranth Fam.		Solanum triflorum / Small Nightshade Solanaceae / Nightshade Fam.		Solanum nitidibaccatum / Ground-Cherry Nightshade, Hairy Nightshade Solanaceae / Nightshade Fam.
Oenothera biennis / Common Evening Primrose Onagraceae / Willowherb Fam.		Oenothera canovirens / Renner's Evening Primrose Onagraceae / Willowherb Fam.		Oenothera oakesiana / Sandy Evening Primrose Onagraceae / Willowherb Fam.
Naturally this list isn't complete. It will be continued on occasion.   There is also a page on spring 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.

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10-Jan-18

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