Sempervivophilia
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Testo italianoSempervivum funckii at Aywaille
S. funckii F.Braun ex Koch, is the only Houseleek present in natural situation in the massif of the Ardennes. All is dubious and poses problem in this plant at the same time well known and badly known: its status, its origin and its... future!
Contents:
1. The site
2. Interest
2.1. The Aywaille Houseleek, a quite mysterious plant
2.2. Nomenclatural status
4. Future
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Credits:
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1.
The site
The Heid-des-Gattes is located in Belgium, in Wallonia, in the massif of the Ardennes, in the south of Liège, between the villages of Aywaille and Sougné-Remouchamps, on the right bank of the Amblève (a river of the basin of the Meuse, tributary of the Ourthe) at 1 km approximately upstream (eastwards) from Aywaille. Etymologically, "heid des Gattes" means "escarpment of the goats" in Walloon language.
The Heid-des-Gattes is a long rock hill notched by the river. The rock slope dominating the Amblève is high and steep (60 m of difference between the top of the wall and the river at its foot). It presents itself as an irregular cliff provided with an overgrown scree downwards, of southern to south-east general exposure. Grazing grounds and old abandoned terraces top the cliff. Old quaries, whose exploitation is now stopped, unfortunately have degraded the natural facies of the main part of this zone in the east and the west. The central zone, the most interesting, was fortunately preserved.
The geology of this rock zone is remarkably complex and various. The cliff primarily consists of psammites (a kind of sandstone with an argillaceous cement), of rather inhomogenous nature, those being able even to be more or less calcareous by places. The reaction of the substrate on psammites is however rather acid with a pH of 6,2-6,4 [Darimont 1945]
The access to this cliff is relatively difficult and dangerous because of the escarpment of its higher part and the frequency of the crumblings. The recurrent problem of crumblings, related to the nature of the rock, even involved the closing of the road at the foot of the cliff since several years. This small road along the river is in fact the old towpath.
The physical difficulty to access the site also doubles of an administrative difficulty because of its classification as natural reserve. The access to this reserve is theoretically forbidden without preliminary authorization. In fact, currently it is not anyore its statute of natural reserve which prohibits to access this zone but a durable conflict between communal authorities and naturalist associations in connection with a possible "cleaning " of the wall for some pseudo-reasons of safety... (see below)
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S. funckii, in association with another Crassulaceae, Sedum album A third Crassulaceae, not visible on the photograph,
is present on the site : Sedum telephium. One notices the
great vegetative prolificity of this plant, which allows its maintenance
in spite of its supposed sterility (its real level of fertility would
deserve to be rigorously evaluated). |
The setting of this natural reserve had been justified by the richness and the variety of the local flora, noticed for a long time. The Heid-des-Gattes is even considered by some local biologists as the most invaluable natural site of Wallonia. The presence of S. funckii is besides one of the components of this floristic richness, and not one of the least. It is not of course the only interesting plant of this site but the only which is regarded as a strict endemic of this reserve. This last element can however be questioned since it is based on a very debatable nomenclatural point of view...
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A. - Sree formed of stone and earth; Shrubby and herbaceous vegetation: Crataegus, Prunus, Clematis, Festuca, etc. B. - Psammites and schists more or less disaggregated with humic ground; Herbaceous vegetation: Artemisia, Linosyris, Sempervivum, Viscaria, etc. C. - Folded inclined hard rocks; Vegetation of lichens and mosses: Parmelia, Lecanora, Grimmia, etc. - Here and there Cotoneaster and Ceterach. [ from Maréchal A. (1940), in Lejeunia 4(1) ] |
2.
Interest
2.1.
The Aywaille Houseleek, a quite mysterious plant
S. funckii F.Braun ex Koch, is the only Houseleek present in situation of natural appearance in the Ardennes and the Heid-des-Gattes constitutes its only known location there. One can probably find in the area S. tectorum here and there escaped of cultivation, like nearly everywhere in Europe, but it is not spontaneous there.
The Heid-des-Gattes is even one of the rare locations which are certain for this plant. S. funckii is indeed a "problematic" plant.
All is doubtful and dubious in this Houseleek: is it a real wild plant or a very old horticultural plant naturalized? Is it an hybrid? If so, is this hybrid a natural one or not? If so, which are its parents?
S. funckii has a apparently very broad natural distribution if the old documents are consulted. In fact, this plant was abundantly confused with many hybrids of various origin, and the immense majority of these indications are false or very doubtful. It was even never found again in its locus classicus, at the foot of the Hohe Tauern in Austria! Its unquestionable stations are very rare, even rarer are those where the plant presents itself under the appearance of a wild plant, the Heid-des-Gattes is one of them, if not the only one...
(for more information about S. funckii, see its nomenclatural card).
Caution, a "natural location" does not mean inevitably a "spontaneous location". It is actually not excluded that the population of this plant at the Heid-des-Gattes is the result of an old naturalization, or that it escaped from cultivation or that it was introduced voluntarily for various reasons. The old documents attest indeed the frequent cultivation of this plant on the old walls of the area. Knowing if these cultivated plants result from plants locally wild then placed in cultivation or if the plants locally wild result from cultivated plants secondarily escaped from cultivation, it is the eternal problem of the egg and the hen...
Therefore, nothing locally makes it possible to affirm or cancel the spontaneous status of S. funckii at the Heid-des-Gattes, as long as no old document will attest its voluntary or accidental introduction.
Nevertheless, the species concerned, the very localized character of this site, the very ectopic character of this site compared to the remainder of the genus Sempervivum and the attested old cultivation of this plant in the area make that the assumption of an old naturalization remains the most probable.
Il n'en reste pas moins que S. funckii est présent là depuis fort longtemps, puisque la présence de "S. montanum" sur les "rochers près de Sougnez" est déjà attestée par Lejeune en 1813 [Supl. Flore de Spa] et il s'y maintient sans aucune intervention humaine. Donc, même si à l'origine son arrivée à la Heid-des-Gattes était la conséquence d'activités humaines, ce qui n'est pas démontré, son intégration dans l'écosystème local est maintenant une réalité objective et son statut de plante naturelle subspontanée ne peut être nié.
However S. funckii is present there for a long time, since the presence of "S. montanum" on the "rochers près de Sougnez" ("rocks close to Sougnez ") is already attested by Lejeune in 1813 [Supl. Flore de Spa] and it maintains there without any human intervention. Thus, even if at the beginning its arrival at the Heid-des-Gattes was the consequence of human activities, which is not proved, its integration in the local ecosystem is now an objective reality and its status of natural plant (of subspontaneous or naturalized origin) cannot be denied.
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S. "montanum" It is likely one of the first collected specimens of the plant which will be recognized thereafter as being S. funckii. [Herbarium of Liège - LG]
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It should be noted that if it proved that this plant is really spontaneous (what remains nevertheless doubtful and in any event quite difficult to demonstrate), such a northern localization would correspond to the absolute northern limit for the genus Sempervivum s.s. (excl. Jovibarba), a primarily peri-Mediterranean genus.
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S. funckii on the sidewall of the cliff A little shaded by the vegetation, this plant shows a floral stems a little longer than the normal for this plant. [in situ / la Heid-des-Gattes. Photo E. Walravens] |
2.2.
Nomenclatural status
The "Aywaille Houseleek" was described as a variety differentiated from S. funckii F.Braun ex Koch 1832.
S. funckii var. aqualiense E.Morren
Morren Edouard, Note sur la Joubarbe d'Aywaille, in La Belgique horticole,
Liège, 23: 161-166, tab. 12, 13 (1873)
[NB : Aqualia = Aywaille]
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Edouard Morren (1833-1886), Belgian botanist well known for his work about the Bromeliaceae, was also the editor of the luxurious magazine La Belgique horticole. (For more details about E. Morren, see its biographical note on the site of Joseph Beaujean) |
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Sempervivum funckii Illustration from the original publication in La Belgique Horticole. |
It is generally under this varietal name of S. funckii var. aqualiense Morren that the Aywaille Houseleek is indicated ever since in the modern works.
This distinction is surely excessive because the objective individualization of this "variety" is founded in fact on the only geographical criterion. It is indeed quite difficult to find another means than its origin to differentiate the var. aqualiense from the var. funckii... The few nuances noticed by the author matching obviously the only field of the phenotypical accommodation or of an internal variation inside one single taxon (a moderate variation because of the prevalence of the vegetative multiplication in this probable hybrid).
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S. funckii var. aqualiense Morren Illustration from the original publication in La Belgique Horticole. |
The criteria given by E. Morren are primarily the longer flower stems, the longer and more leafy stolons, this author regards these criteria as distinctive of a variety but which would better regarded as bound to a relative level of etiolation of the examined plants! (don't forget that the area of Liège is very northern for a Houseleek...). It is understandable that E Morren being from Liège had the Chimene's eyes for the local Houseleek and made a point of finding some characteristics to it, but the result is not convincing.
Thus, to accept this varietal rank for the Aywaille Houseleek leads to regard the only geographical criterion as sufficient to define a variety. This point of view would be justifiable in the case of a ectopic localization of a species with an homogeneous global area and with constant biotopes and if this varietal distinction were accompanied by some morphological or ecological criteria. Nothing of that for the "variety" aqualiense. In the case of S. funckii, nobody is able to date to define precisely its natural distribution area and even to say if, yes or not, it has one! The varietal rank is in this case without a serious base, but that does not undervalue the great interest of this plant, quite to the contrary.
3.
Access to the site
- La heid-des-Gattes, plan d'accès -
(from Saintenoyy 1989)
Let us recall that this access is for the moment physically impossible (high barriers and barbed wires will prevent you...) Moreover, because of the status of natural reserve, any picking on the site is oof course prohibited. Any attempt of unauthorized access will thus expose you to suffer a statement...
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The cliff of the Heid-des-Gattes It looks as a tortured rock facies, with various micro-biotopes. [Photo E. Walravens] |
To obtain the access authorization to the reserve (a purely theoretical authorization during the conflict in progress), contact the association in charge of the reserve management:
"Réserve naturelle agrée de la Heid-des-Gattes"
Gestionnaire : Association
"Ardenne et Gaume".
Sécrétariat : rue des Croisiers, 8
B-5000 Namur
Belgique
S. funckii is present in abundance on the rocks which are at the foot and at the west of the wall of the Heid-des-Gattes.
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The road of the foot of the Heid-des-Gattes As it can be noted, the access to the cliff is very convivial. Only a watchtower and a few sentries at arms are lacking... [ août 2005 ] |
4.
Future
The future of the Aywaille Houseleek is bound to that of the reserve of the Heid-des-Gattes. However, the future of this one is much more uncertain than its administrative statute of natural reserve could let to suppose.
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Flowering of S. funckii [in situ / la Heid-des-Gattes. Photo E. Walravens] |
Indeed, the commune of Aywaille wants to open again the road located at the foot of the cliff of the Heid-des-Gattes, and thus to make it safe. Let 's recall that it has been closed for several years, because of the risks of falls of rocks. To make it safe it and to authorize again the traffic, at least pedestrian, it would be necessary to blow up the sides of rocks threatening this road, that is to say... 25.000 tons! This would be equivalent to destroy the major part of the reserve!!!. Some alternative solutions exist, for example to build a new road on the left bank and to give up the road of the right bank, but that would require heavy investments. From several years, two camps are clashing. A sword of Damocles is thus still overhanging the Aywaille Houseleek and at this date, its fate is not yet fixed...
To be followed!
5.
Related documents
BEAUJEAN Joseph, La Joubarbe d'Aywaille,
une plante protégée par la loi... menacée de destruction
volontaire, in Revue Verviétoise d'Histoire Naturelle, 54(1):
7-14 (1997) [in French]
(reproduced by courtesy of the author and the publisher)
SAINTENOY-SIMON
Jacqueline, La Heid-des-Gattes menacée (11.08.2005) in Parcs et Réserves, Ardenne et
Gaume, 60(2): 2-21. [in French]
(reproduced by courtesy of the author)
External
links
Inventaire des Sites de Grand Intérêt Biologique : la Heid-des-Gattes
[in French
http://mrw.wallonie.be/cgi/dgrne/sibw/sibw.sgib.form.pl?SGIBCODE=27
Menaces sur la Heid-des-Gattes [in French]
http://www.molignee-ecologie.be/heiddesgattes/heiddesgattes.htm
Ardennes liègeoises : la Heid-des-Gattes [in French]
http://users.skynet.be/ardennesliegeoises/aywaille.htm
Ardenne et Gaume : la Heid-des-Gattes [in French]
http://environnement.wallonie.be/ardenne_et_gaume/reservegattes.htm
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"S. funki", This superb watercolour is a part of an outstanding set of more than 370 watercolours of the"Flore de Spa et ses environs", made by the painter from Spa G.J. Crehay (1816-1897) on behalf of the botanist Auguste Francotte from Liège . Still to date these plates were not the subject of any publication. |
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