Image to followAI-generated illustrationNarthecium ossifragum
Narthecium ossifragum
FamilyGenus: Nartheciumnative in Germany
🌿
15
Species
interact
🔗
32
Interactions
documented
🐛
1
Host relationships
Species
About this species
A native herbaceous plant of wet, acidic, nutrient-poor habitats, flowering in June and July with modest value to pollinators.
Ecological network
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PollinationLarval hostFlower visit
Ecological significance
As a native component of British wetland and heath vegetation, Narthecium ossifragum contributes to local biodiversity. Its flowers provide a modest nectar and pollen supply for insects, though the reward is rated low. It presents no invasive risk or negative ecological impact in its natural range.
Annual cycle
Visible above-ground growth appears in spring, with flowering concentrated in June and July. The plant is herbaceous and non-woody; its above-ground parts are present during the growing season.
Safety note
No specific safety information is recorded for this species.
Standort & Merkmale
Light
Sonne
Moisture
Feucht
Soil
Schwachzehrer (Magerer Boden)
Flowering period
Jun – Jul
Soil reaction
Sauer (Säurezeiger)
Bioregion
Continental
Nectar value
1
Pollen value
1
Growth form
Krautige Pflanze
Woodiness
Nicht verholzt
Leaf type
Breitblättrig
Plant height
0.177 m
Morphological traits: TRY ID3 (CC BY 3.0) & TRY ID81 (CC BY)
Pflege & Anbau
Provide a sunny location with persistently moist, acidic, nutrient-poor soil. This species naturally associates with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; avoid applying fertilisers or soil improvers that raise fertility.
Scientific profile
Narthecium ossifragum is a native wild plant in Great Britain. It is a broad-leaved, non-woody herbaceous plant reaching approximately 18 cm in height. It thrives in full sun on moist, strongly acid, extremely infertile soils, typically in low-disturbance environments. Flowering occurs in June and July, offering a limited nectar and pollen resource for visiting insects. Below ground, it forms arbuscular mycorrhizal associations. The leaves are broad, with an average area of around 1087 mm², and the tiny seeds weigh just over 0.08 mg on average.
Pollinators & visitors
10 Arten interagieren mit dieser Pflanze
Bombus lucorumBombus jonellusApis melliferaPlebejus argusSphaerophoria scriptaPlatycheirus manicatusEristalis nemorumSericomyia silentisBombus hortorumBombus cryptarum
Host relationships
1 species use this plant as a host
Cerastis rubricosa (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775
Other flower visitors
4 other species visit the flowers
Myrmica rubraPhaonia incanaHylemyza partitaHydrellia griseola
Sources & data origin
•Interaktionsdaten via GloBI (CC-BY 4.0)
•Cook et al. (2025) UK Butterfly & Moth Traits (DOI: 10.5285/dbc7cc17-cbbd-49dd-bab4-8e8855768d66)
•pollinator_interactions
•Baden-Böhm F, App M, Thiele J (2022) — The FloRes Database: A floral resources trait database for pollinator habitat-assessment generated by a multistep workflow. Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Dryad, DOI: 10.5061/dryad.djh9w0w29 (CC0)
•FloraWeb / BfN
•EIVE 1.0 — Dengler et al. (2023), DOI: 10.3897/VCS.98324 (CC BY 4.0)
•EuPPollNet — Kuppler et al. (2025), DOI: 10.1111/geb.70000 (CC BY 4.0)
•Database of Pollinator Interactions (DoPI) — Pocock et al. (2022), DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3801 (CC BY)
•GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — GBIF Secretariat (2024), DOI: 10.15468/39omei (CC BY 4.0)
•TRY Categorical Traits (ID3) — Kattge et al. (2012), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.3 (CC BY 3.0)
•TRY Global Spectrum (ID81) — Díaz et al. (2016/2021), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.81 (CC BY)
•Govaerts R et al. (2025) — World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) v14. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. DOI: 10.34885/xs7h-ze42 (CC BY 4.0)
All data is licensed under CC BY 4.0, CC0, or compatible terms. Attribution according to license conditions. Full source overview →