[en] Viola calaminaria (Gingins) Lej. is a rare and threatened species, endemic to metalliferous soils in E Belgium, S Netherlands and W Germany. In order to provide basic information for a conservation strategy, we performed an ecogeographic survey of almost all V. calaminaria populations currently existing in Belgium. Twenty-four populations were found, distributed in three geographic groups all in the Province of Liège. The area covered by V. calaminaria ranged from < 1 m2 to 3.2 ha. The largest populations were found in sites contaminated by atmospheric deposits from metal smelters. Soils were extremely variable in heavy metal and nutrient concentrations, but concentrations of Zn, Pb and Cd were consistently higher than reference values for normal soils. V. calaminaria was most often found in association with other metallophyte and pseudometallophyte taxa typical of metalliferous sites. Plant communities
identified by TWINSPAN analysis generally fitted the heavy metal associations previously
described but two unusual heavy metal plant communities were identified. Based on a
canonical correspondence analysis, pH was the only factor that was clearly correlated with the
floristic composition of plant communities associated to V. calaminaria. This study confirmed
the ecological endemic status of V. calaminaria and the importance of the conservation of
metalliferous sites.
Antonovics, J., Bradshaw, A.D., Turner, R.G., Heavy metal tolerance in plants (1971) Adv. Ecol. Res., 7, pp. 1-85
Beckers, R., (1997) Recherche et Propositions de Gestion des Sites Favorables à la Végétation Calaminaire Dans Le Cadre du Plan Communal de Développement de la Nature de Welkenraedt, , Laboratoire d'Ecologie, Institut Supérieur Industriel, Huy, Belgium
Brown, G., Soil factors affecting patchiness in community composition of heavy metal contaminated areas of Western Europe (1994) Vegetatio, 115, pp. 77-90
Brown, G., The effects of lead and zinc on the distribution of plant species at former mining areas of Western Europe (1995) Flora, 190, pp. 243-249
Brown, G., The heavy metal vegetation of northwestern mainland Europe (2001) Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, 123, pp. 63-110
Cottenie, A., Kiekens, L., Verloo, M., Principles of soil and substrate analysis with regard to mobility of nutient element (1975) Pédologie, 25, pp. 134-142
De Langhe, P.J., Norton, D.A., The ecology and conservation of Kunzea sinclairii (Myrtaceae), a naturally rare plant of rhyolitic rock out-crops (2004) Biol. Conserv., 117, pp. 49-59
De Temmerman, L.O., Hoenig, M., Scokart, P.O., Determination of "normal" levels and upper limit values of trace elements in soils (1984) J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci., 147, pp. 687-694
Debussche, M., Grandjanny, M., Debussche, G., Affre, L., The ecology of an endemic and rare species with a fragmented distribution: Cyclamen balearilcum Willk in France (1996) Acta Bot. Gallica, 143, pp. 65-84
Dinsdale, J., Dale, P., Kent, M., The biogeography and historical ecology of Lobelia urens L. (the Heath Lobelia) in Southern England (1997) J. Biogeogr., 24, pp. 153-175
Duvigneaud, J., Les critères d'appréciation de la valeur biologique d'un site: Exemple du versant gauche de la vallée de la Vesdre à Ninane et Chaudfontaine (1976) Natura Mosana, 29, pp. 102-117
Duvigneaud, J., La halde calaminaire du Rocheux à Theux. Une nouvelle réserve naturelle d'Ardenne et Gaume (1982) Parc Nationaux, 37, pp. 117-138
Duvigneaud, J., Jortay, A., Un site intéressant de la région liégoise: La partie méridionale du vallon des Fonds de Forêt (1987) Les Naturalistes Belges, 68, pp. 33-49
Duvigneaud, J., Saintenoy-Simon, J., Le site calaminaire de Plombières (1996) Ardenne et Gaume, 51, pp. 5-9
Duvigneaud, J., Saintenoy-Simon, J., Les haldes calaminaires de Plombières (province de Liège, Belgique) (1998) Les Naturalistes Belges, 79, pp. 24-32
Duvigneaud, J., Saintenoy-Simon, J., Pauquet, F., Une réserve naturelle d'Ardenne et Gaume: La pelouse calaminaire située au sud du parc communal de Kelmis-La Calamine (1993) Parcs Nationaux, 48, pp. 66-76
Ernst, W.H.O., Mine vegetation in Europe (1990) Heavy Metal Tolerance in Plants: Evolutionary Aspects, pp. 285-300. , SHAW A. J. (ed.), CRC Press, Florida
Fagot, J., (1993) Apport de la Botanique Dans la Stratégie de Réhabilitation des Sites Contaminés Par Les Métaux Lourds, , Ph.D. thesis, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Gembloux, Belgium
Garland, C.J., Wilkins, D.A., Effect of calcium on the uptake and toxicity of lead in Hordeum vulgare L. and Festuca ovina L. (1981) New Phytol., 87, pp. 581-593
Graitson, E., Inventaire et caractérisation des sites calaminaires en région wallonne (2004) Lejeunia, , in press
Heimans, J., Taxonomical, phytogeographical and ecological problems round Viola calaminaria, the zinc violet (1961) Publicaties Natuurhistorische Genootschap Limburg, 12, pp. 55-71
Hildebrandt, U., Kaldorf, M., Bothe, H., The zinc violet and its colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (1999) J. Plant Physiol., 154, pp. 709-717
Hill, M.O., (1979) TWINSPAN. A Fortran Program for Arranging Multivariate Data in An Ordered Two-way Table by Classification of the Individuals and Attributes, , Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Jortay, A., (1984) Étude Écologique des Effets Sur Le Couvert Végétal de L'industrie du Zinc à Prayon (Trooz), , B.Sc. thesis, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
Kakes, P., Genecological investigations on zinc plants II. Introgression in a small population of the zinc violet Viola calaminaria subsp. westfalica (Lej.) Ernst (1977) Acta Bot. Neerl., 26, pp. 385-400
Kakes, P., Genecological investigations on zinc plants III. Cytology of hybrids between Viola calaminaria (Lej.) Ernst and Viola arvensis Murr (1979) Genetica, 51, pp. 135-142
Kakes, P., Everards, K., Genecological investigations on zinc plants I. Genetics of flower colour in crosses between Viola calaminaria Lej. and its subspecies westfalica (Lej.) Ernst (1976) Acta Bot. Neerl., 25, pp. 31-40
Lambinon, J., Auquier, P., La flore et la végétation des terrains calaminaires de la Wallonie septentrionale et de la Rhénanie aixoise. Types chorologiques et groupes écologiques (1963) Natura Mosana, 16, pp. 113-130
Lambinon, J., De Langhe, J.E., Delvosalle, L., Duvigneaud, J., (1992) Nouvelle Flore de la Belgique, du Grand-Duché du Luxembourg, du Nord de la France et des Régions Voisines, 4th Edn., 1092p. , Jardin botanique national de Belgique, Meise, Belgium
Lefèbvre, C., Vernet, P., Microevolutionary processes on contaminated deposits (1990) Heavy Metal Tolerance in Plants: Evolutionary Aspects, pp. 285-300. , SHAW A.J. (ed.), CRC Press, Florida
Lejeune, A.L.S., (1811) Flore des Environs de Spa, 256p. , Duvivier, Liège, Belgium
Lovett Doust, L., Lovett Doust, J., Wetland management and conservation of rare species (1995) Can. J. Bot., 73, pp. 1019-1028
Macnair, M.R., Baker, A.J.M., Metal tolerance in plants: Evolutionary aspects (1994) Plants and the Chemical Elements: Biochemistry, Uptake, Tolerance and Toxicity, pp. 68-86. , FARAGO M.E. (ed.), VCH, Weinheim, Germany
Maxted, N., Ecogeography and genetic conservation (1999) Genetic Resources of Mediterranean Pasture and Forage Legumes, pp. 53-66. , BENNETT S.J. & COCKS P.S. (eds.), Kluwer Academic Publisher, The Netherlands
Mengoni, A., Gonnelli, C., Galardi, F., Gabbrielli, R., Bazzicalupo, M., Genetic diversity and heavy metal tolerance in populations of Silene paradoxa L. (Caryophyllaceae): A random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis (2000) Mol. Ecol., 9, pp. 1319-1324
Nauenburg, J.D., (1986) Untersuchungen Zur Variabilität, Ökologie und Systematik der Viola Tricolor-Gruppe in Mitteleuropa, , Ph.D. thesis, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
Olivieri, I., Vitalis, R., The biology of extinctions (2001) Medecine Sciences, 17, pp. 63-69
Rostanski, A., Taxonomic problems within the section Melanium Ging. of the genus Viola L. (2003) International Journal of Invertebrate Taxonomy, (SUPPL.), pp. 65-74
Schemske, D.W., Husband, B.C., Ruckelshaus, M.H., Goodwillie, C., Parker, I., Bishop, J.G., Evaluating approaches to the conservation of rare and endangered plants (1994) Ecology, 75, pp. 584-606
Simon, E., La dynamique de la végétation de quelques sites métallifères dans les régions d'Eupen et d'Aix-la-Chapelle en relation avec les facteurs édaphiques (1975) Bull. Soc. Roy. Bot. Belg., 108, pp. 273-286
Simon, E., Heavy metals in soils, vegetation development and heavy metal tolerance in plant populations from metalliferous areas (1978) New Phytol., 81, pp. 175-188
Ter Braak, C.J.F., Smilauer, P., (2002) CANOCO Reference Manual and CanoDraw for Windows User's Guide: Sofware for Canonical Community Ordination (Version 4.5), 500p. , Microcomputer Power, Ithaca, New York
Toxin, C., Assessment of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity in the rhizosphere of Viola calaminaria and effect of these fungi on heavy metal uptake by clover (2001) Mycorrhiza, 10, pp. 161-168
Willems, J.H., Hoe is het eigenlijk met onze zinkflora gesteld? (2004) Natuurhistorisch Maandblad, 93, pp. 21-25
Wolf, A., Conservation of endemic plants in serpentine landscapes (2001) Biol. Conserv., 100, pp. 35-44