Clinopodium alpinum  subsp. hungaricum (Simonk.) Govaerts

Taxonomy: Fam. Lamiaceae// Genus: Clinopodium// Species: Clinopodium alpinum (L.) Kuntze// Subspecies: Clinopodium alpinum subsp. hungaricum (Simonk.) Govaerts.

Synonyms: Calamintha alpina subsp. hungarica (Simonk.) Hayek; Acinos alpinus subsp. hungarica (Simonkai) Hayek. The accepted name in The Euro+Med PlantBase (source: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, 2010) is Clinopodium alpinum subsp. hungaricum (Simonk.) Govaerts.

Literature used for determination: Matevski in Matevski (2021), Diklić in Josifović (1974) and Ball and Getliffe in Tutin et al. (1972).

Note: A polymorphic taxon that is distinguished from the other subspecies of C. alpinum by the prominent leaf veins all the way to the margin on the abaxial side. High variation within the taxon is observed regarding habit, internode length, indumentum of stem and leaves, leaf shape, calyx hairiness etc. Plants from the subalpine belt generally have lower, more procumbent- prostrate habit with larger number of stems and shorter, appressed calyx hairs. Plants from the lower part of the Osogovo range tend to be of higher and more upright habit, more hairy and with calyx with longer crispate hairs.

Distribution: Native from Southeast Europe to Ukraine and Turkey according to the distribution information provided by the Plants of the World Online portal (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew).

Habitat: Open habitats- grasslands, pastures, rocks and rocky terrains, river gorges, edges and clearings of forests from the lowest parts of the mountain up to the subalpine belt.

Lifeform: Perennial, hemicryptophyte according to the Raunkiaer system.

Flowering period: Summer – fall: JUN, JUL, AUG, SEP, OCT.

References:

Acinos Miller. Ball, P. W. and Getliffe F. M. in Tutin, T.G., Heywood, V.H., Burges, N.A., Moore, D.M., Valentine, D.H., Walters, S.M. & Webb, D.A. (1972). Flora Europaea. Volume 3: Diapensiaceae to Myoporaceae. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 165 – 166.

Clinopodium alpinum subsp. hungaricum (Simonk.) Govaerts. Plants of the World Online portal, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1009776-1 [Accessed 25.12.2022].

Clinopodium alpinum subsp. hungaricum. The Euro+Med PlantBase. Source: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (2010), copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2010. Published on the Internet https://europlusmed.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/3741c59b-c9b3-4518-9d33-3c5f4ebe9552 [Accessed 25.12.2022].

Rod Calamintha Adans. Diklić, N. in Josifović, M. (1974). Flora SR Srbije VI. Srpska Akademija Nauka i Umetnosti, Beograd, pp. 462 – 472.

Rod Clinopodium L. Matevski, V. in Matevski, V. The Flora of the RN Macedonia. Vol II, Book 2. Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Skopje 324 – 344.