Vascular plants

Latin name: Helleborus niger
Flowering time: December - April
Habitat: Spruce-fir-beech forests
Other: Poisonous! Root used to be crushed and used as a snuff powder.

The snow rose is also often used as an ornamental plant because of its attractive flower. From a botanical point of view, it is not a rose, but a buttercup plant. It occurs in the montane to subalpine altitudes and is a typical species of calcareous beech forests.

The snow rose has evergreen, leathery leaves that are divided into four to nine fingers. The large, white flowers usually sit individually on leafless stems up to 30 cm high. The name snow rose refers to the early flowering period immediately after the snow melts. In mild winters, specimens can be found flowering as early as December (Christmas rose). The petals do not fall off when the fruit is formed, but by then they have taken on a green hue. The reason for this longevity is that the supposed petals are white-colored sepals, while the actual petals are transformed into inconspicuous nectar petals. The snow rose is a well-known poisonous and medicinal plant. The cardiac glycosides contained in all parts of the plant can lead to severe poisoning. The dried and grated root can be used as a sneezing powder and added to snuff, hence the name hellebore.

The snow rose prefers fresh to moderately dry, nutrient-rich and calcareous soils. It is the eponymous species of the snow rose-spruce-fir-beech forest (Helleboro-Fagetum). In the national park, it is frequently found in all calcareous beech forest communities from very fresh (Aceri-Fagetum) to rather dry (Carici-Fagetum). It is also frequently found in the snow heath red pine forest (Erico- Pinetum sylvestris), rust sedge grasslands (Caricion ferrugineae) and in the calcareous alpine rock and scree grasslands (Seslerion coeruleae).

The snow lily is common in Kalkalpen National Park . Like all beech forest plants, it will benefit greatly from the advance of beech and mixed beech forests, which is to be expected with the increasing forest wilderness in the national park.

Status, endangerment and protection

Status Kalkalpen National Park: very common
Status Austria: common
Red List Austria (1999): regionally endangered
Red List Upper Austria (1997): potentially regionally more endangered
Nature Conservation Act Upper Austria: partially protected

Latin name: Primula clusiana
Flowering time: May - July
Habitat: Damp rocky meadows, damp grassland, snowy soils
Other:Endemic

The low-growing Clusius primrose is a plant of damp limestone rocks and rocky grasslands in the montane to alpine altitudes.

The Clusius primrose rarely grows taller than five centimeters. The whole-margined, somewhat fleshy leaves are arranged in a rosette close to the ground. The comparatively large, purple-red flowers are particularly characteristic. It owes its name "hunter's blood" to them. The flowering period ranges from the end of April to June, depending on the altitude. The flowers turn pale purple when they wither.

The Clusius primrose grows on moist, shallow, fine-soil and humus-poor soils of calcareous rocks. It finds the most favorable growing conditions in damp rocky meadows, damp lawns and snowy soils. It is a characteristic species of the cushion sedge grassland (Caricetum firmae). This low-growing grass community can only survive permanently in extreme locations. In the National Park, such sites can be found in the rocky, shady and humid lower sections of the steep Hintergebirgs gorges. The cushion sedge grasslands there are interlocked in a mosaic with stands of rusty sedge grasslands (Caricetum ferruginae).

There are more than 400 endemic plant species in the Alps, the majority of which grow on rocks, scree slopes or in patchy grassland communities. The very limited occurrence of endemics is explained by the fact that these species survived the ice ages in refuges, but were unable to spread again afterwards because more competitive species, especially trees, had already advanced. In the course of biotope mapping, a total of 14 of the 18 endemic species occurring in Upper Austria have been identified at Kalkalpen National Park .

The occurrence of the Clusius primula in the Kalkalpen National Park is largely restricted to extreme locations such as ravines and snowy soils due to the lack of alpine altitudes. Here it will not be affected by the increasing forest wilderness.

Status, endangerment and protection

Status Kalkalpen National Park: rare
Status Austria: common to rare
Red List Austria (1999): -
Red List Upper Austria (1997): -
Nature Conservation Act Upper Austria: fully protected

Latin name: Cypripedium calceolus
Flowering time: May - June
Habitat: Lime-loving, in semi-shady, clay-rich woodland
Other: Legends claim a connection to the Virgin Mary ("Mary's slipper").It is also interesting to note how this flower "forces" pollination: insects that have penetrated the plant fall into the cup-shaped, smooth-walled, oily, shiny shoe, where they find sugary substances. The only way out is via the stigma or the sticky pollen, which must be touched!

The lady's slipper is one of those native plants that everyone knows, but only a few have ever seen in the wild. This beautiful, rare orchid only grows on limestone and is found in sparse pine and mixed deciduous forests in the colline to upper montane altitudes.

The lady's slipper is known for its characteristic flower. A large, open-topped yellow lower lip protrudes from four long, twisted, reddish-brown petals. Its shape is reminiscent of the one-piece wooden clogs that were once valued as work shoes. Smaller insects, attracted by the color and the vanilla-like scent, fall into the slipper and are unable to leave via the upper opening due to the smooth walls of the kettle. On their way to the rear outlet, they have to squeeze past the stigma and the anthers, where they strip off the pollen they have brought with them and get new pollen stuck on. The lady's slipper flowers from May to June. The stems grow to a maximum of knee height and are leafy up to the top. The leaves have pronounced longitudinal veins. They are similar to those of the white-germer ( ), but are more delicate and not hairy underneath.

Lady's slipper prefers moderately fresh to summer-dry, musty, humusy, calcareous soils. As a semi-shady plant, it only tolerates little shade. It is mainly found in sparse beech forests (Cephalanthero-Fagion), especially in sedge-beech forests (Carici-Fagetum). It is also occasionally found in the snow heath-pine forest (Erico-Pinetum sylvestris) and in the Alpendostylo spruce-fir forest (Adenostylo glabrae-Abietum).

With the increasing forest wilderness in the national park, the lady's slipper will become an even rarer sight than it already is. This is because the forest communities in which it occurs do not represent the final community at the respective location. It can be assumed that some red pine forests will develop into spruce forests and some alpine spruce-fir and sedge-beech forests will develop into (spruce) fir-beech forests, in which it is too dark for the lady's slipper.

Status, endangerment and protection

Status Kalkalpen National Park: rare
Status Austria: common to scattered
Red List Austria (1999): endangered
Red List Upper Austria (1997): endangered
Nature Conservation Act Upper Austria: fully protected
EU Habitats Directive: absolute protection requirement, Annex II, IV

Latin name: Gentiana Panonnica
Flowering time: August
Habitat: Lime-loving, in semi-shady, loamy woodland

The Eastern Alpine gentian is a vigorous perennial with large, brown-purple flowers. The scientific name and its translations are misleading, as the species is neither Pannonian nor does it occur in Hungary. Here it grows in meagre pasture grasslands, tall herbaceous meadows and scrub in the upper montane to subalpine altitudes.

The Eastern Alpine gentian has large, opposite, shiny leaves. They have the distinct longitudinal veins typical of gentians. In the upper section and at the end of the sturdy, knee-high stem there are two to five sessile flowers in the leaf axils. They are brown-purple on the outside and yellowish with dark speckles towards the base. They flower in August. The root is rich in sugars and bitter substances and, like that of the yellow gentian ( ), is suitable for making schnapps and liqueurs. While experienced root diggers used to know how to use the roots to preserve the stocks, today in many places a plundering economy has broken out which has greatly reduced the stocks. As the large gentians are all pasture weeds and benefit from pasture farming, the general decline in alpine pastures has also had a negative impact.

The Eastern Alpine gentian is a plant of the limestone mountains, but only colonizes soils poor in lime, such as brown loams. It is most common in the montane to subalpine acidic rough pastures (Nardo-Agrostion tenuis). These are mostly forest replacement communities that are only forest-free due to grazing. In addition, the Eastern Alpine gentian can also be found in the subalpine tall herbaceous meadows (Adenostylion alliariae) and tall herbaceous scrub (Alnion viridis).

The increasing forest wilderness in Kalkalpen National Park will have a neutral to unfavorable effect on the Eastern Alpine gentian. It will have little joy with the overgrowth of abandoned alpine pastures and the further development of some tall herbaceous meadows into spruce or sycamore forests. On the other hand, it could benefit from the thinning that is to be expected with the ageing of the spruce (fir) forests at higher altitudes.

Status, endangerment and protection

Status Kalkalpen National Park: rare
Status Austria: common to scattered
Red List Austria (1999): regionally endangered
Red List Upper Austria (1997): potentially regionally more endangered
Nature Conservation Act Upper Austria (2001): fully protected

Latin name: Lilium martagon
Flowering time: June - July
Habitat: Lime-loving, deciduous forest communities

The Turk's cap lily is one of only three native wild lily species. Its turban-like flowers make it unmistakable. It grows in herb-rich deciduous and coniferous forests, on forest edges and in tall herbaceous meadows at colline to subalpine altitudes.

The Turk's cap lily grows up to one meter high. Its narrow, glossy leaves are clearly whorled on the stem, at least in the lower part. Where its habitat is too shady, for example in spruce poles, it sometimes does not form a stem at all, but is content with a few leaves that grow directly from the ground. At flowering time, the stem bears up to 20 waxy, light purple-red flowers in the typical turban-like shape. They are completed by a protruding pistil and six long stamens with strikingly large, brown-red stamens. The flower is geared towards night owls and smells stronger in the dark. The flowering period lasts from June to July. The buds in particular are readily eaten by game.

The Turk's cap lily prefers fresh, nutrient- and base-rich, loose, deep loamy soil on calcareous subsoil. At lower altitudes it is a semi-shady plant, at higher altitudes it can also be found in open areas. It occurs in almost all deciduous forest communities, which are grouped together in the associations of ravine and hillside debris forests (Tilio-Acerion) and beech forests (Fagion). Where it occurs in coniferous forests, it is usually a relict of the original deciduous forest community. It is likely to appreciate forest edges and forest slopes because better light conditions make it easier for it to flower. Outside the forest, it can be found in the subalpine tall forb communities (Adenostylion alliariae).

The increasing forest wilderness at Kalkalpen National Park will have a beneficial effect on the Turk's cap lily. Initially, it will lose sites due to the overgrowth of woodland. However, this will be outweighed many times over by the advantage it can derive as a beech forest plant from the spread of near-natural spruce-fir-beech forests.

Status, endangerment and protection

Status Kalkalpen National Park: common
Status Austria: common to scattered
Red List Austria (1999): -
Red List Upper Austria (1997): -
Nature Conservation Act Upper Austria (2001): fully protected