Achillea kotschyi
Achillea kotschyi Boiss.
Asteraceae – Daisy family
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)]. BDA.
Morphology and biology. Perennial herbaceous plant with branched subterranean rhizome. Stems up to 40 cm high, erect. Leaves pinnatisect, with 7–9 pairs of primary lobes; rachis toothed between the lobes. Inflorescence compound, corymbose, with many capitula. Ligules 5, up to 2.5 mm long, white. Fruit achene. Reproduction by seeds and vegetatively. Fl. VII–VIII, fr. VIII–X.
Habitats and populations. Dry, stony, grassy places and scrub with Juniperus sibirica in the spruce forest belt and the subalpine belt from 1500 up to 1900 m alt. Population is with high degree of fragmentation.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Balkan Range (central – Sopotski Balkan, “Nezabravka” chalet, Dobrila peak, Koumanitsa, eastwards to the valley of Stara Reka river).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula, Asia Minor.
Threats. Trampling and littering of the habitats in the known localities due to stock keeping, grazing and tourism development. Seed productivity is not high. Occasionally collected by tourists as medicinal herb.
Conservation measures taken. The known localities are within the borders of Central Balkan National Park and in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Sustainable management and conservation of the habitats. Preparation of an action plan for the species and monitoring of its populations. Preservation in ex situ collections.
Note. Some authors consider that the Bulgarian plants belong to a separate taxon, namely Achillea urumoffii Hal. due to some morphological differences.
References. Halacsy 1897; Velenovský 1898; Kuzmanov et al. 1985; Saukel et al. 2003.
Authors: Boris Assyov, Cvetomir M. Denchev
