User:Manudouz/sandbox/Tozzia



Tozzia alpina is the unique species of the plant  genus Tozzia within the broomrape family Orobanchaceae. While the plant in its young, vegetative stage is holoparasite, it becomes hemiparasite in its flowering stage. The originality of this species is therefore to combine half and full parasitism.

Its chromosome number is 2n = 20.

Vegetative features
Tozzia alpina is a herbaceous, perennial plant, reaching heights of 10 to 50 cm. The quadrangular stem is hairless in the lower part, hairy on the edges in the middle and upper part. The simple, bright green leaves are broad, ovate, serrate, with a length of 1 to 3.5 centimeters, a rounded or slightly heart-shaped basis, and a sharp upper end.

Reproductive features
The flowering period is from June to August. The hermaphroditic zygomorph flowers are organized into a raceme inflorescence. The bracts have a 3 to 10 millimeters long, thin, one-sided hairy stalk. The fruit is spherical with a diameter of 2 to 2.5 millimeters. The seeds are almost spherical, smooth and white with a round black spot.

Ecology
The alpine dragon is a geophyte. In the first year of its growth, Tozzia feeds as holoparasite on large-leaved herbaceous plants, such as species of the genera Rumex, Adenostyles and Petasites. As of the second year, it becomes a hemiparasite with its own assimilation, but still receives nutrients from the host plant.

It is a Mullbodenkriecher and a half-shade plant. Pollination is done by hovering.

Occurrence
The distribution area of  Tozzia alpina  extends from the Pyrenees across the Alps to the Balkan and the Carpathians.

The Alpine raven grows in Hochstaudenflur en, Butterbur companies and Grünerle n bushes. It is a character of the order Adenostyletalia in Central Europe and occurs especially in the Cicerbitetum. It thrives at altitudes of 800 to 2600 meters. In the Allgäu Alps it rises at the Linkerskopf in Bavaria up to an altitude of 2200 meters. It thrives on lime-rich and nutrient-rich, wet-fresh to moist [ [Clay]] - and clay  soil. The Alpine raven prefers northern orientations (NW to NO - exposure), while southern layers are largely avoided.

Phylogeny
The phylogeny of the genera of Rhinantheae has been explored using molecular characters. Tozzia belongs to the core Rhinantheae. Tozzia is closely related to Odontites, Bellardia, and Hedbergia. In turn, these genera share phylogenetic affinities with Euphrasia, and then with Bartsia.

Systematics
The first description of Tozzia alpina was made by Carl von Linné. The genus name Tozzia was given in 1729 by Pier Antonio Micheli. It is a taxonomic patronym in honor of Bruno Tozzi, a monk and later abbot of the monastery Vallombrosa at Reggello in Tuscany, who published in 1703 a work about Tuscan plant species.

The range of Tozzia alpina extends from the Pyrenees to the Alps to the Balkans and the Carpathians.

Two subspecies have been described:
 * Tozzia alpina L. subsp. alpina, occurring in Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, and former Yugoslavia ;
 * Tozzia alpina subsp. carpathica (Wolł.) Pawlł. (Syn: Tozzia carpathica Wolł.), occurring in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine.