Montia fontana

Last updated

Montia fontana
Montia fontana flowers.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Montiaceae
Genus: Montia
Species:
M. fontana
Binomial name
Montia fontana
L.
Synonyms
List
    • Calandrinia cerrateaeAñon
    • Calandrinia pusillaBarnéoud
    • Cameraria fontanaMoench
    • Claytonia fontana(L.) R.J.Davis
    • Claytonia halliiA.Gray
    • Claytonia pusilla(Barnéoud) Kuntze
    • Montia alsine-facieGilib.
    • Montia arvensisWallr.
    • Montia chabertiGand.
    • Montia claraÖ. Nilsson
    • Montia decumbensSt.-Lag.
    • Montia dipetalaSuksd.
    • Montia erectaSteud.
    • Montia funstoniiRydb.
    • Montia hallii(A. Gray) Greene
    • Montia lamprospermaCham.
    • Montia linearifoliad'Urv.
    • Montia majorSteud.
    • Montia pentandraWilld. ex Cham.
    • Montia stenophyllaRydb.
    • Montia tenellaSteud.
    • Montia terrestrisDumort.

Montia fontana, blinks is a herbaceous annual to perennial plant that grows in freshwater springs in upland regions, and in seasonally damp acid grassland in the lowlands. It is widespread throughout the world, except in southern Asia. It is rather variable in morphology, which is reflected in a complex history of taxonomy. Currently, there are three accepted subspecies which are defined largely by the appearance of the seedcoat. It is edible and consumed as a salad in some areas, but is otherwise of minimal economic impact. Because of its association with clean water habitats, it is often viewed as a species of conservation value.

Contents

Description

Blinks is an annual to perennial prostrate herb with branching stems, sometimes forming mats up to 50 cm across in short, seasonally damp grassland or floating in streams and hollows. The stems are thin (0.5 mm diameter) and reddish, sometimes rooting in water. The primary roots are fleshy and pink, and there are numerous secondary roots with fibrous hairs.

The spatulate leaves are succulent and glabrous, arranged in opposite pairs, between 2–20 mm long and 1.5–6 mm wide, with a hydathode at the tip. On some plants, particularly those floating in water, the leaves have a distinct petiole, whereas on those (mainly subsp. chondrosperma) which grow in dry grassland, the leaves narrow towards their bases and fuse with the opposite one at the stem (i.e. they are connate).

The leaves on a small plant are often joined at the base. Montia fontana connate.jpg
The leaves on a small plant are often joined at the base.

The inflorescence consists of a terminal cyme of two or three tiny white flowers 2–3 mm in diameter with five petals, two sepals, 3-5 stamens, 1-3 styles, each with one stigma. The fruit capsules are 2 mm in diameter and contain 3 round seeds. The architecture of the seeds differentiate the four varieties of blinks. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Taxonomy

The name Montia fontana was coined by Linnaeus in 1753 in Species Plantarum , but it has had many synonyms before and since; Linnaeus lists "Montia aquatica minor", "Cameraria aquatica minor" and "Portulaca arvensis" among them. [6] [7]

The generic name Montia is a tribute to Giuseppe Monti (1682-1760), a professor of botany at Bologna. [8] The epithet fontana derives from the Latin fontanus , a spring, and refers to its habitat. The common name "blinks" may come from the phrase "blink and you miss it", due to its very small size, alternatively it may be from the Old English "blincan", to shine or twinkle. Other common names for it include "water blinks", "water chickweed" or (in the US) "annual water miner's lettuce".

Because blinks is such a widespread and variable species, many synonyms have been coined, and many subspecies have been described which reflect this variability. The currently accepted account is largely based on that of Max Walters in the British journal Watsonia in 1953. [5] In this paper he described 4 subspecies:

The seedcoat is important in identifying the subspecies; this is subsp. chondrosperma. Montia fontana chondrosperma L. (AM AK362182-3).jpg
The seedcoat is important in identifying the subspecies; this is subsp. chondrosperma.

Distribution and status

Blinks has an almost world-wide distribution, and it is considered a native species in most places, and in all continents except Antarctica. It is apparently considered an introduction only in Venezuela and the Falkland Islands, and it is absent only from southern Asia. [10] [9]

The threat status of Blinks globally and in Europe is LC, [11] as it is in Britain, [12] where it is common and widespread in the north and west, becoming scattered and rare towards the south and east. Despite its abundance, it is listed as an axiophyte in most British counties. [13]

Habitat and ecology

A sward of blinks in a flush in France Montia fontana (mezenc, 43, France)2.JPG
A sward of blinks in a flush in France

Blinks grows in a wide range of wetland habitats, from permanently wet pools, springs and streamsides to winter-wet, sandy grassland. It mostly grows in acid places, but is tolerant of mildly alkaline conditions. Its altitudinal range in Britain is from sea level to 996 m in Coire Leachavie, Glen Affric. [14] [15] The flowers are either pollinated by insects or (especially if underwater, when they are often cleistogamous) will self-pollinate. [14]

Its Ellenberg values in Britain are L = 7, F = 9, R = 5, N = 3 and S = 0, which show that it occurs in fairly sunny places with slightly acid damp soils and low nutrient conditions. It is not tolerant of salt. [16]

Under the European system for classifying habitats, EUNIS, Blinks is a characteristic species in three habitats, comprising four communities: C2.18 acid oligotrophic vegetation of spring brooks; C2.25 acid oligotrophic vegetation of fast-flowing stream; and D2.2C soft water spring mires, including D2.2C11 montane soft water moss springs. [17] Within the British NVC blinks (particularly subsp. fontana) occurs in several types of upland spring-fed vegetation, most characteristically M35 Ranunculus omiophyllus-Montia fontana rills, [18] and (mainly subsp. chondrosperma) in summer-dry, rain-fed U1 Festuca ovina-Agrostis capillaris-Rumex acetosella grassland in sandy, more lowland habitats. [19] [20]

Montia fontana subsp. chondrosperma in a grassy sward, already going to seed in April. Montia fontana fruits.jpg
Montia fontana subsp. chondrosperma in a grassy sward, already going to seed in April.

Blinks is occasionally found in secondary populations in other habitats, such as woodland stream sides, where it has presumably been washed up, or in bowling greens or pavements after habitats have been built over. [21] [22] [20]

The beetle Phaedon armoraciae chews on its leaves in Scotland, [23] and the smut-like ascomycete Tolyposporium montiae (Rostrup) Rostrup, 1904 can infest the root collar area. [24] There is a species of vinegar fly, Scaptomyza graminum whose larvae produce leaf mines in blinks; it has been recorded in Britain and Europe. [25] [24]

Uses

Blinks is edible and is gathered in the wild and used as a salad vegetable in Spain and Portugal, but it is not currently cultivated. It is high in fibre and is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. [26] [27]

Related Research Articles

<i>Kalmia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the heath family Ericaceae

Kalmia is a genus of about ten species of evergreen shrubs from 0.2–5 m tall, in the family Ericaceae. They are native to North America and Cuba. They grow in acidic soils, with different species in wet acid bog habitats and dry, sandy soils.

<i>Casuarina equisetifolia</i> Species of tree

Casuarina equisetifolia, commonly known as coastal she-oak, horsetail she-oak, ironwood,beach sheoak, beach casuarina or whistling tree is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is native to Australia, New Guinea, Southeast Asia and India. It is a small to medium-sized, monoecious tree with scaly or furrowed bark on older specimens, drooping branchlets, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of 7 or 8, the fruit 10–24 mm (0.39–0.94 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long.

<i>Montia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Montia is a genus of plants in the family Montiaceae. Species in this genus are known generally as miner's lettuce or water chickweed. All of the species in the genus have edible leaves. It is found worldwide, except in Asia.

<i>Nuphar lutea</i> Species of flowering plant

Nuphar lutea, the yellow water-lily, brandy-bottle, or spadderdock, is an aquatic plant of the family Nymphaeaceae, native to northern temperate and some subtropical regions of Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia. This species was used as a food source and in medicinal practices from prehistoric times with potential research and medical applications going forward.

<i>Prunus ilicifolia</i> Species of tree

Prunus ilicifolia is native to the chaparral areas of coastal California, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. as well as the desert chaparral areas of the Mojave desert.

<i>Agrimonia eupatoria</i> Species of plant

Agrimonia eupatoria is a species of agrimony that is often referred to as common agrimony, church steeples or sticklewort.

<i>Phragmites australis</i> Species of grass commonly known as reed

Phragmites australis, known as the common reed, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae. It is a wetland grass that can grow up to 20 feet tall and has a cosmopolitan distribution worldwide.

<i>Juncus acutus</i> Species of rush

Juncus acutus, the spiny rush, sharp rush or sharp-pointed rush, is a flowering plant in the monocot family Juncaceae. It is native to the Americas, Northern and Southern Africa, Western and Southern Europe and West Asia, and is found in a variety of wet habitats, such as bogs, fens, meadows, and salt marshes, and along the edges of ponds and lakes.

<i>Chionochloa rubra</i> Species of grass

Chionochloa rubra, known commonly as red tussock grass, is a species of tussock grass in the grass family, endemic to New Zealand.

<i>Olearia phlogopappa</i> Species of flowering plant

Olearia phlogopappa commonly known as the dusty daisy-bush or alpine daisy-bush is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae that is commonly found in eastern New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. It is a small shrub with greyish-green foliage, daisy-like flowers in white, pink or mauve that can be seen from spring to late summer.

<i>Oenanthe pimpinelloides</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenanthe pimpinelloides is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae known by the common name corky-fruited water-dropwort. It is a plant of damp or dry grassland and more ruderal tall herb communities.

<i>Stellaria apetala</i> Species of flowering plant in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae

Stellaria apetala, lesser chickweed, is an annual herbaceous plant in the flowering plant family Caryophyllaceae. It occurs in short, sandy grassland by the sea and, less often, in similar habitat inland. It is native to Europe and is well established as an introduced species worldwide.

<i>Leucojum aestivum</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae

Leucojum aestivum, commonly called the summer snowflake, giant snowflake, Loddon lily and rarely snowbell and dewdrop among others, is a plant species widely cultivated as an ornamental. It is native to most of Europe from Spain and Ireland to Ukraine, with the exception of Scandinavia, Russia, Belarus and the Baltic countries. It is also considered native to Turkey, Iran and the Caucasus. It is naturalized in Denmark, South Australia, New South Wales, Nova Scotia and much of the eastern United States.

<i>Trichophorum cespitosum</i> Species of flowering plant in the sedge family Cyperaceae

Trichophorum cespitosum, commonly known as deergrass or tufted bulrush, is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family. It was originally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as Scirpus cespitosus, but was transferred to the genus Trichophorum by the Swedish botanist Carl Johan Hartman in 1849, becoming Trichophorum cespitosum.

<i>Hypericum undulatum</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum undulatum, the wavy St Johns Wort, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant native to western Europe and northern Africa. The specific name undulatum is Latin, meaning "wavy" or "undulated", referring, just as the common name, to the wavy leaf margins of the herb. The plant has a diploid number of 16 or 32.

<i>Oenanthe aquatica</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenanthe aquatica, fine-leaved water-dropwort, is an aquatic flowering plant in the carrot family. It is widely distributed from the Atlantic coast of Europe to central Asia.

<i>Juncus inflexus</i> Species of rush

Juncus inflexus, the hard rush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Juncaceae, native to Europe, Asia and Africa, and introduced in Sri Lanka, Java, Île Amsterdam and Île Saint-Paul, Victoria in Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, and eastern North America. It is a glycophyte (non-halophyte).

<i>Oenanthe silaifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenanthe silaifolia, narrow-leaved water-dropwort, is a flowering plant in the carrot family, which is native to Europe and adjacent parts of Asia and North Africa. It is an uncommon plant of water-meadows and wetlands.

<i>Ranunculus hederaceus</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae

Ranunculus hederaceus is a flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae.

<i>Erodium maritimum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erodium maritimum, the sea stork's-bill, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Geraniaceae. It occurs on free-draining stony soils close to the sea and, very occasionally, in similar situations inland. Most of the world's population occurs in southern Britain and Brittany, but it is found in scattered locations around the coast of Europe as far as Corsica and Italy, and south to the Canary Isles.

References

  1. ↑ Lansdown, R.V. (2014). "Montia fontana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T164123A63307717. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-2.RLTS.T164123A63307717.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Stace, C.A. (2019). New Flora of the British Isles (4th ed.). Suffolk: C & M Floristics. ISBN   978-1-5272-2630-2.
  3. ↑ Sell, Peter; Murrell, Gina (2018). Flora of Great Britain and Ireland, vol 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-55335-3.
  4. ↑ Poland, John; Clement, Eric (2009). The Vegetative Key to the British Flora. Southampton: John Poland. ISBN   978-0-9560144-0-5.
  5. 1 2 Walters, S.M. (1953). "Montia fontana L." Watsonia. 3: 1–6.
  6. ↑ Linnaeus, C. (1753). Species Plantarum.
  7. ↑ "Montia fonatana L." Global Biodiversity Information Forum. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  8. ↑ Leighton, W.A. (1841). A Flora of Shropshire. London: John van Voorst.
  9. 1 2 3 "Montia fontana L." Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  10. ↑ "Montia fontana L." Global Biodiversity Information Forum. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  11. ↑ "Blinks Montia fontana". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  12. ↑ Cheffings, C.M.; Farrell, L. (2005). The Vascular Plant Red Data List for Great Britain. Peterborough: Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
  13. ↑ "Axiophytes". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  14. 1 2 Schou, J.C.; Moeslund, B.; van de Weyer, K. (2023). Aquatic Plants of Northern and Central Europe including Britain and Ireland. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN   978-0-691-25101-1.
  15. ↑ Pearman, D.A. "Altitudinal Limits of British Plants, 2021".
  16. ↑ Hill, M.O.; Mountford, J.O.; Roy, D.B.; Bunce, R.G.H. (1999). Ellenberg's indicator values for British plants. ECOFACT Volume 2. Technical Annex (PDF). Institute of Terrestrial Ecology. ISBN   1870393481 . Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  17. ↑ "Montie des fontaines". Inventaire National du Patrimoine Naturel. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  18. ↑ Rodwell, J.S. (1991). British Plant Communities, vol. 2: Mires and heaths. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   0-521-39165-2.
  19. ↑ Lockton, Alex; Whild, Sarah (2015). The Flora and Vegetation of Shropshire. Montford Bridge: Shropshire Botanical Society. ISBN   978-0-9530937-2-4.
  20. 1 2 Trueman, I.C.; Poulton, M.W.; Hodder, M. (2023). The Flora of Sutton Park. Newbury: Pisces Publications. ISBN   978-1-913994-09-9.
  21. ↑ Graham, G.G. (1988). The Flora and Vegetation of County Durham. Durham County Conservation Trust. ISBN   0-905362-02-0.
  22. ↑ Crawley, M.J. (2005). The Flora of Berkshire. Harpenden: Brambleby Books. ISBN   0-9543347-4-4.
  23. ↑ "Coleoptera >> Chrysomelidae >> Phaedon armoraciae (L.)". Database of Insects and their Food Plants. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  24. 1 2 "Tolyposporium montiae". Plant Parasites of Europe. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  25. ↑ "MONTIA. Blinks. [Portulacaceae]". The leaf and stem mines of British flies and other insects. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  26. ↑ Tardio, J. (2011). "Montia fontana L. (Portulacaceae), an interesting wild vegetable traditionally consumed in the Iberian Peninsula". Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 58: 1105–1118.
  27. ↑ Morales, Patricia. "Fatty acids profiles of some Spanish wild vegetables" (PDF). Retrieved 24 February 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.