Alchemilla bandericensis
Alchemilla bandericensis Pawł.
Rosaceae – Rose family
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B1ab(iii,v)+2ab(ii,v); C2a(ii)]. IUCN(V), BDA. Balkan endemic.
Morphology and biology. Herbaceous, rhizomatous perennial. Stems 30–50 cm, with patent hairs, dense in the lower and sparse in the upper part. Basal leaves suborbicular, 9-lobed, plicate, glabrous above or hairy only near the margin and on the pleats, hairy beneath; petioles up to 30 cm long, with short patent hairs; cauline leaves well developed, with the same indumentum as the basal. Inflorescence small, narrow, lax; glomeruli dense. Flowers 3.5–4.5 mm in diameter, yellowish green. Sepals ovate-triangular; epicalyx segments as long as sepals but narrower. Fruit a single achene. Fl. VII–VIII, fr. VIII–IX. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds and partly by vegetative means. The species has poor reproductive potential and is sensitive to air and soil humidity.
Habitats and populations. Grows in grassy places by streams in the subalpine belt. Only one small population is known, with low density.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Pirin Mts (Bunderishki Cirque); 2100–2400 m alt.
General distribution. Bulgaria, R Macedonia.
Threats. Limited distribution; poor reproductive potential; trampling and destruction of plants by tourists; climate changes such as warming and aridisation.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species according to the national Biodiversity Act. Included in 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants with a category “vulnerable”. The population is situated within Pirin National Park and in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Monitoring of the population state and reproductive potential aimed at the optimization of the species protection regime; ex situ propagation and maintenance of ex situ collection of the species, and if necessary, re-introduction to the natural habitats.
References. Pawłowski 1953; Assenov 1973, 1984; Walters & Pawłowski 1968; Walter & Gillet 1998; Kurtto et al. 2007.
Author: Antonina Vitkova
