Coleanthus subtilis (Tratt.) seidl in der Tschechoslowakei

Rare wetland grass Coleanthus subtilis in Central and Western Europe – current distribution, habitat types, and threats

“…Once the water level drops, exposing wet muddy surfaces, seeds present in the soil germinate. Consequently, C. subtilis is amongst the first colonizers in these temporary habitats [9].…”

“…Since both growth and development of C. subtilis depend on a high water content of the substrate, its entire life cycle, comprising germination, vegetative growth and reproduction, is completed within (5)6 to 7 weeks in Central Europe [9] and within 8 to 10 weeks in Siberia [5,26]. Furthermore, for germination the seeds require diurnal temperature fluctuations of at least 20°C [9], which occur mainly in spring, late summer and fall.…”

“…Furthermore, for germination the seeds require diurnal temperature fluctuations of at least 20°C [9], which occur mainly in spring, late summer and fall. Consequently, the potential growing season of C. subtilis reaches from mid-March / beginning of April to the end of October/mid-November, depending on local climatic conditions.…”

“…Its primary habitats are the exposed, muddy areas of intermittently flooded depressions that are generally located alongside streams or rivers, and are typical of old river and stream floodplains [4,8]. However, C. subtilis is also known from man-made ponds and water reservoirs characterized by a significant and regular variation of the water level resulting in the creation of open, wet, muddy surfaces, at least in some periods of the growing season [9,10]. Currently, in Central Europe, C. subtilis can be found predominantly in such secondary, anthropogenic habitats [2,11].…”

“…One of the first studies on the ecology of C. subtilis was that of Hejný [9]. Due to its interesting ecological status, several studies have been carried out on the ecology, distribution and seed dispersal strategy of C. subtilis in the recent years (e.g., [2,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]).…”