Archives: February2010

• Trifolium alpinum

  

  Many thanks to first-time BPotD contributor Josef Stuefer aka josef.stuefer@Flickr for today’s photograph (original via the Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Pool).

  Trifolium alpinum, or (unsurprisingly), alpine clover is a perennial native to the acidic-soil grasslands and rocky slopes of the Alps, Pyrenees and northern Apennines in southwestern Europe. Up to a dozen flowers in globose inflorescences are borne on leafless stems, approximately 5-20cm high (2-8in.). The flowers are sweet-smelling, but I’ve not had the pleasure so can’t attempt to describe it. Of alpine Trifolium species in Europe, it has the largest flowers (according to the Alpine Garden Society’s Encyclopaedia of Alpines).

  Alpine clover has been assessed by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization for its suitability in ecological restoration of alpine habitats. Details appear in Site-Specific Grasses and Herbs: Seed production and use for restoration of mountain environments. On Trifolium alpinum: “Because of its suitability for sites with a low pH as well as its deep taproot, alpine clover is an important component (and nitrogen supplier) of grassland mixtures that are appropriate to the habitat. Nutrient-rich forage with high digestibility.”

  For additional photographs, see Wikimedia Commons (this photograph appears there too): Trifolium alpinum or Botany.cz: Trifolium alpinum.

• Trifolium alpinum

  

  Many thanks to first-time BPotD contributor Josef Stuefer aka josef.stuefer@Flickr for today’s photograph (original via the Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Pool).

  Trifolium alpinum, or (unsurprisingly), alpine clover is a perennial native to the acidic-soil grasslands and rocky slopes of the Alps, Pyrenees and northern Apennines in southwestern Europe. Up to a dozen flowers in globose inflorescences are borne on leafless stems, approximately 5-20cm high (2-8in.). The flowers are sweet-smelling, but I’ve not had the pleasure so can’t attempt to describe it. Of alpine Trifolium species in Europe, it has the largest flowers (according to the Alpine Garden Society’s Encyclopaedia of Alpines).

  Alpine clover has been assessed by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization for its suitability in ecological restoration of alpine habitats. Details appear in Site-Specific Grasses and Herbs: Seed production and use for restoration of mountain environments. On Trifolium alpinum: “Because of its suitability for sites with a low pH as well as its deep taproot, alpine clover is an important component (and nitrogen supplier) of grassland mixtures that are appropriate to the habitat. Nutrient-rich forage with high digestibility.”

  For additional photographs, see Wikimedia Commons (this photograph appears there too): Trifolium alpinum or Botany.cz: Trifolium alpinum.

• New Laser Zaps Mosquitoes in Slow-Motion Video

  A new laser system can kill mosquitoes without harming other insects, as shown in slow-motion video. It’s all part of the effort to combat malaria. Video.