Tormaen Borffor?
Un o nodweddion gwerthfawr Garchodfa Natur Genedlaethol Cwm Idwal yw’r planhigion sy’n perthyn i’r dosbarth arctic alpaidd. Fel sy’n amlwg o enw’r dosbarth mae’r planhigion yma wedi ymgartrefu mewn hinsoddau oer iawn fel a geir yn yr Arctig, mynyddoedd uchel yr Alpau, a Cwm Idwal.
Mae ardaloedd o fewn Cwm Idwal yn gynefin delfrydol ar gyfer rhai o’r planhigion yma, sydd wedi addasu yn berffaith ar gyfer byw yn y fath le. Rhai o nodweddion y planhigion arctig-alpaidd yw fod y planhigion blodeuol yn tyfu mewn matiau neu ‘glustogau’ isel sydd gyda tymor blodeuo byr, mae hyn yn eu diogelu rhag yr elfennau eithafol sydd i’w cael yn yr ardaloedd yma.
Un o’r planhigion arctig-alpaidd cyntaf i flodeuo yng Nghwm Idwal yw’r Dormaen borffor, neu’r Dormaen gyferbynddail, neu i roi ei enw Lladin, y Saxifraga oppositifolia. Yn y Saesneg ‘Purple saxifrage’ a’i gelwir. Medrwn weld pam yn y llun yma gan Hywel Roberts:
Mae’r Dormaen Borffor fel arfer yn blodeuo o tua Mis Chwefror drwy Mis Ebrill, ond mae’r tymor blodeuo yn newid yn ddibynol ar y tywydd gaeafol a gawn yng Nghwm Idwal. Prin yw’r cyfle I weld y Dormaen Borffor yn blodeuo ar ol y pasg.
Ydi’r enw ‘Tormaen Borffor’ yn addas ar gyfer y math yma o Dormaen y cawn yng Nghwm Idwal? Y rheswm dwi’n gofyn hyn, yw fod blodau gwyn a phinc i’w cael ar y Dormaen ‘borffor’ yng Nghwm Idwal hefyd, ond nid oes gwahaniaeth ennynol rhwng Y Dormaen Borffor gyda blodau porffor, a’r Dormaen Borffor gyda blodau gwyn! Dyma Dormaen ‘borffor’ arall a gipwyd gan Hywel Roberts yn uchelfannau Cwm Idwal yn ddiweddar:
Yn Norwy gelwir y Dormaen Borffor yn rødsildre, sef y Dormaen Goch, gan fo blodau mwy coch i’w cael yno, ond yr un planhigyn ydio, a hwnnw gawn yng Nghwm Idwal.
Lwcus bod ffyrdd eraill i adnabod y rhywogaeth planhigyn yn llwyddianus, megis strwythyr y dail. Yr elfen mwyaf amlwg ar ôl y blodau yw’r dail, sy’n tyfu gyferbyn a’i gilydd mewn 4 rhes, felly mae’r enw Tormaen Gyferbynddail yn addas iawn hefyd.
Dwi’n meddwl mai Tormaen Gyferbynddail y galwai hi o rwan ‘mlaen, dim ots be ‘di lliw y blodyn wedyn!
Mae hi dal yn eithaf oer yma, ond yn ôl y rhagolygon, mae hi fod i gynhesu dros y dyddiau nesaf felly os ydych am gael cyfle i weld y Dormaen Gyferbynddail yng Nghwm Idwal, beth bynnag fydd lliw y blodau, dewch draw yn fuan.
Os am ddarllen mwy am y planhigyn hynod ddiddorol yma dilynwch y cysylltiadau ar waelod y dudalen.
Purple Saxifrage?
One of Cwm Idwal National Nature Reserve’s most valuable characteristics is the plants that belong to the arctic-alpine taxon. It is obvious from the taxon name that these plants can be found in very cold climates that we have in the Arctic, the high mountains of the Alps, and Cwm Idwal.
There are areas within Cwm Idwal that provide the ideal habitat for some of these plants that have adapted perfectly to survive in such places. Some of the features that Arctic-Alpine plants share are that the flowering plants grow in low mats or ‘cushions’ with a short flowering period. This provides protection from the extreme conditions found in these areas.
One of the first arctic alpine plants to flower at Cwm Idwal is the Purple Saxifrage, or the Saxifraga oppositifolia. In Welsh it is called ‘Tormaen Gyferbynddail’ or ‘Tormaen Borffor’. We can see why, from the following picture taken by Hywel Roberts:
The Purple Saxifrage usually flowers from February until April, but the flowering season varies with the wintry weather we get at Cwm Idwal. The chance to see the Purple Saxifrage flowering gets slimmer after Easter.
Is the name ‘Purple Saxifrage’ suitable for this kind of Saxifrage we have in Cwm Idwal? The reason I raise the question is that we have white and pink flowers occurring on the Purple Saxifrage here, although there is no genetic difference between those plants with different coloured flowers! Here is another ‘Purple’ Saxifrage captured by Hywel Roberts at Cwm Idwal recently:
In Norway the Purple Saxifrage is called rødsildre, that means the Red Saxifrage, but it is exactly the same plant as we get in Cwm, Idwal.
We are lucky that there are other methods of identifying plants successfully such as leaf formation. The most obvious characteristic after the flower of the Purple Saxifrage are the leaves, that grow opposite each other in 4 rows, therefore the Latin Saxifraga oppositifolia or the Welsh Tormaen Cyferbynddail are very suitable here too.I think I will stick to calling it Tormaen Cyferbynddail, it doesn’t matter what colour the flowers are then!
It is still rather cold here, but according to the forecast it is supposed to get warmer over the next couple of days, so if you still want a chance to see the Tormaen Cyferbynddail at Cwm Idwal, whatever the colour of the flowers, call by soon.
If you would like to read more about this fascinating plant, follow the links below:http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=24230
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00035-011-0089-1
https://data.nbn.org.uk/Search?q=Saxifraga+oppositifolia
http://www.ukwildflowers.com/Web_pages/saxifraga_oppositifolia_purple_saxifrage.htm
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/scientific-resources/biodiversity/uk-biodiversity/uk-species/species/saxifraga_oppositifolia.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxifraga
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3660837/
cwmidwal says:
‘Un ffaith arall i’ch helpu i adnabod y Dormaen Gyferbynddail yw fod crisial gwyn o galch i’w gael ar flaen y ddeilen, gall hyn i’ch cynorthwyo i wahaniaethu rhwng Y Dormaen Gyferbynddail a’r Teim Gwyllt, gall hyn hefyd fod yn arwydd o natur galchog y creigiau o dan y wyneb – Hywel Roberts
‘One other fact to help you distinguish between Wild Thyme and the Purple Saxifrage is that the Purple Saxifrage leaf has a white speck believed to be of calcium on the tip, which can be a representation of the base rich rock underneath’ – Hywel Roberts