Fauna

Where?

The Bog stitchwort (Stellaria alsine) typically grows on wet sites, along spring edges, forest roads and ditches on seepage-wet, more or less nutrient-rich soils in partial shade.

Appearance?

The brook chickweed is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches growth heights or lengths of 10-40 cm. The leaves are directly on the stem or short stalked, elongated pointed and bluish green color. In the flowering period from May to July it forms small radiating white to light green flowers

Where?

Bur-reed (Sparganium) are a plant genus of the bulrush family and occur in about 21 different species. They grow on damp to wet, temporarily or always flooded sites on water banks, swamps and bogs. Due to their (under suitable conditions) very dense stands, they form so-called reed beds.They often occur together with cattails, sedges and rush species.

Appearance?

Bur-reed species are green overwintering perennial herbaceous plants, some of which grow completely underwater or with floating leaves and inflorescences at or above the water surface. The alternate deciduous leaves are oblong, grass-like in shape, and consist of a spongy floating tissue. The inflorescence consists of male and female spherical partial inflorescences that grow as white to dark green, spiny-looking flower heads.

Where?

Cattails are an typical aquatic and marsh plant that can develop very dense stands in wetlands. They usually settle on the banks of water bodies, in marshes and swamps on moist to wet sites.

Appearance?

Are deciduous perennial plants that have alternate leaves on stems that are always hairless. The leaves grow stiffly erect and can reach a length of up to 4 meters. They are grass-like in shape and consist of a spongy compressible webbing. The leaf blades are curved outward to form a semicircular cross-section. The total inflorescence consists of a thicker (all-female) and an above all-male subinflorescence. The inflorescences are cylindrical to spherical in shape with very dense flowers. The flowering period is from May to August.

Special Features?

Typha species are distributed worldwide and consist of up to 40 different species.

Where?

Duckweed grows on sunny, stagnant to slow-flowing and nutrient-rich (eutrophic) to polluted (hypertrophic) waters.

Appearance?

Free floating plant on the water or just below the water surface, with one or more small green leaves, with diameters of 3-6 mm. A short root filament grows into the water, for mineral absorption. 

Special Features?

Gibbous duckweed (Lemna gibba), common duckweed (Lemna minor) and least duckweed (Lemna minuta) are difficult to distinguish from each other and often occur together. Duckweed often covers entire bodies of water, which prevents submerged plants from growing and can also affect water temperature.

Where?

Golden saxifrage (Chrysosplenium) grow in Central Europe in wet places next to streams or on rocks in mountain gorges. However, many species also grow in drier places in rock crevices or on gravel slopes.

Appearance?

The Golden saxifrage form a genus of plants of the Saxifragaceae family with about 57 to 65 species. They are a small, perennial, herbaceous plant, with growth heights of 10-20 cm. The stem leaves can be opposite or alternate, are always undivided and grow without stipules, Characteristic of spleenworts are the inflorescences, which are usually surrounded by yellow to green, flat bracts. The calyx consists of usually four yellow, green or even reddish brown sepals with 4, 8 and rarely 10 stamens. The central ovary consists of 2 carpels, the bracts, sepals, stamens and carpels are mostly on one level..

Where?

Ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria) grows primarily in nitrogen-rich, shady, moist, loose soils. Due to the strongly proliferating rhizome, the low demands and thus rapid spread, it is generally considered a troublesome weed.

Appearance?

The Ground elder is a partially wintergreen, perennial herbaceous plant that reaches heights of 30 to 100 cm. The alternate leaves are ovate-oblong, have a serrated margin and consist of 2 to 3 leaf segments. The flat and 12- to 25-rayed inflorescence consists of many small white flowers that bloom from June to July.

Special Features?

Ground elder was used as a medical plant in the Middle Ages, but its effect has not been proven. It is also considered a tasty wild vegetable.

Where?

The hornwort grows best in nutrient-rich (eutrophic), stagnant to slow-flowing and summer-warm waters, with humus-rich muddy soils in water depths of 0.5 to 10 meters.

Appearance?

Submerged living plant with often reddish stems between 30 and 100cm long. Dark green, once, or twice branched, rigid leaves, arranged radially at regular intervals around the stem.

Special Features?

Rare, inconspicuous flowers up to 3mm long, between July and September. Its dense growth can outcompete native underwater vegetation, leading to loss of biodiversity.

Liverworts

Where?

Mosses of the liverwort group (Marchantiophyta) can be found on many stream banks or in moist areas near springs. They grow in individual groups or in extensive lawns on stones or on nutrient-poor soils in the shade. Of these, some are more sensitive to nutrients, such as the liverwort Chiloscyphus polyanthos (see photo below), which is found in Luxembourg, and some are less so. The most widespread is the fountain liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha).

Appearance?

Liverworts grow rather flat and often overlay each other like lobes. Some form a kind of cup on their surface. Many liverworts form spore capsules after some time, which are roughly comparable to fertilized seeds of higher plants.

Water-Mosses

Where?

The group of spring mosses belong to the mosses living under water. The moss Philonotis fontana, colonizes light-rich, lime- and nutrient-poor, mostly cold spring areas. It occurs in bogs and on trickling spring rocks. The common water moss Fontinalis antipyretica grows mostly in slow-flowing, rarely in standing waters. It is mostly found in clean, nutrient-poor (oligotrophic) streams and larger lakes in Luxembourg. It grows there on stones and occurs in the low mountain range.

Where?

Reed canarygrass often grows in large groups along or in flowing, oxygen-rich waters on nutrient-rich clay and mud soils, occasionally on dry sites. It is a light-loving species, but also tolerates partial shade.

Appearance?

Reaches growth heights of 0.5 to 2 meters and has elongated, grass-like, hairless leaves that usually grow over 15 mm wide. The youngest leaves are usually rolled. The flowers at the end of the stem are 10-20 cm long panicles consisting of several small branches, each with one flower. The flowering period is from June to July.

Special Features?

Can root up to 3.5 meters deep and is popularly grown as a mowing grass, as it is very productive and suitable as a forage grass.

Where?

River water-crowfoot grows in fast-flowing rivers and streams in moderately warm to warm areas.

Appearance?

River water-crowfoot is a wintergreen, herbaceous plant that forms stems up to 6 meters long. On it grow at least 8 cm long, thread-like and multi-branched submerged leaves. Between June and August form white flowers with yellow stamens that have a diameter of up to 2 cm.

Special features?

Underwater, egg-shaped stipules are formed, above water, small fruits are formed, which contain between 34 and 63 nutlets.

Where?

Grows in nutrient-rich, stagnant to slow-flowing waters at depths of 1.5 to 3 meters.

Appearance?

Perennial, herbaceous, always submerged plant with alternate, up to 4.5 cm wide and up to 30 cm long, pointed and slightly transparent pale green to yellow leaves. Between June and September, spikey inflorescences form, which emerge above the water surface.

Where?

Shore zones of lakes or ponds. The roots can tolerate waterlogging.

Appearance?

The blooming period of the showy yellow and bushy flowers extends from spring to summer, depending on location and distribution area. The inflorescence stem in the middle or upper stem area, leaf axillary is 1.5 to 3 centimeters long, smooth or sparsely glandular or shaggy hairy.

Where?

Grows in swamps, on banks and frequently shallow flooded sites, requires constantly moist soils.

Appearance?

Perennial, cryptophyte plant. Smooth stem with growth height between 30 and 120 cm, with filamentous shoots at regular intervals, which are formed for reproduction. From May to June, an egg-shaped spore ear forms at the top of the horsetail..

Special Features?

May be toxic to cattle, easily confused with marsh and field horsetail, Water horsetail hybridizes with field horsetail to form the so-called Equisetum × litorale. The Water horsetail is hollow.

Where?

Water mint is a plant from the mint genus and is found in large parts of Europe and Africa. It grows mainly on somewhat acidic, muddy soils, on moderately nitrogen-rich sites, on banks and ditches, in wet and boggy meadows and swamp forests. It can also grow underwater in depths up to 2 meters.

Appearance?

Water mint grows as a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches heights of 10 to 150 cm. The four-edged stem grows opposite, ovate leaves with toothed margins that grow between 2 to 8 cm long and 1 to 4 cm wide. The flowers are close above the upper leaf axils and form spherical inflorescences. The flowers have a light purple, pink or white coloration and consist of five leaves each up to 4mm long.

Special Features?

Very typical for the water mint is the smell of mint, which occurs especially when rubbing the leaves.

Where?

The water-starwort (Callitriche) form a group of plants living in water. They are creeping annual to perennial herbaceous plants living on the bottom or partially or completely under the water surface. They belong to the natural vegetation of a river.

Appearance?

The shoot axis grows filiform and is covered with opposite leaves. The shape and arrangement of the leaves varies greatly depending on the location. Plants located below the water surface often have lanceolate or linear leaves and long internodes. An upper portion of the leaves and flowers often float in carpets on the water surface.

Special features?

There are several Callitriche species that are sensitive to overly nutrient-rich water (eutrophic). These include Callitriche cophocarpa, recognizable by its lance-shaped, longer leaves. Likewise, there are Callitriche species such as Callitriche obtusangula that are tolerant of water pollution and are considered indicators of eutrophic waters. Unlike Callitriche cophocarpa, Callitriche obtusangula has rounder leaves. However, beware that other Callitriche species also have rounded leaves. So if there are water-starwort swimming on your brook or river, look for other indicators and see if your water-starwort matches your observations.

Where?

Prefer sunny to light-shaded places that are wet to moist. It grows especially well directly in the water at depths of maximum 40 centimeters of water on heavy clay soils.

Appearance?

Grows as a perennial herbaceous plant, which can reach growth heights of 1 to 2 m. The gray-green sword-shaped leaves grow up to 90 cm long and 1-3 cm wide. The inflorescence consists of a yellow trifoliate single flower, from which cylindrical fruits are formed, 4 to 8 cm long, containing many seeds. The flowering period lasts from the end of May to June.

Special Features?

This plant has been used as a form of water treatment since it can take up macronutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) through its roots, and is featured in many AS Level Biology practicals as its ability to grow in low pH levels makes it a useful indicator.

All plant parts of the plant are poisonous. Partly it is used as an ornamental plant for garden ponds and water banks.