The fresh-water pools and Elatine gussonei
Share
Elatine gussonei (Sommier) Brullo & al.
In the middle of the almost “desert” of Lampedusa, walking in the void, just for the sake of getting lost among the rocks of the island and searching for nothing, you could especially in winter or early spring, run into micro ponds called by experts temporary pools. Finding these places on the island is like finding an oasis in the desert. In fact there are no freshwater streams, but only stones, boulders and sparse vegetation. But in the right places and at the right time, some holes in the bare rock are usually round and a few centimeters deep, most likely originated by the wind fill with rainwater. The bottom of these pools is made impermeable by a very fine sediment, silt. Hence the name temporary pools of fresh water. They remain covered by water in short periods of rain until all the water evaporates. All the habitats have been codified and even this has a code 3170 *: Temporary Mediterranean ponds. And you know where there is water there is life.The puddles after a few days that are filled with fresh water begin to swarm with life. Various species of microscopic animals compete for that micro cosmos. To provide a little oxygen to these stagnant waters, nature has provided with an amphibious micro seedling. The commonly called Gussone water pepper. The Elatine gussonei name of the species given in honor of Giovanni Gussone, is a beautiful green seedling the small green leaves once emerged from the temporary pool give life to small flowers. This seedling was described for the first time in the history of botany in Lampedusa 1885 from Lojacono then from Sommier in 1908 then again in 1915 and finally from Brullo in 1988. What is sorry is that its presence is not indicated on Lampedusa in the distribution map by the international organization that deals with cataloging living species and indicating them as more or less threatened with extinction, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), incredible would say Sasà Salvaggio.
Elatine gussonei | Lampedusa
Elatine gussonei | Lampedusa
