Alyssum borzaeanum
Alyssum borzaeanum Nyár.
Alyssum tortuosum subsp. borzaeanum (Nyár.) Stoj.3
Brassicaceae – Cabbage family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B1ab(ii,iii)+ 2ab(ii,iii)]. BDA, BC.
Morphology and biology. Perennial herb; stems 10–30 cm, at base with sterile shoots forming leaf-rosettes. Basal leaves covered with stellate hairs; cauline oblanceolate, the largest near the apex of the stem. Flowers numerous, yellow. Silicula with stellate hairs, each loculus with 1 not winged seed. Fl. VI−VII, fr. VII−VIII. Insect pollinated, rarely self-pollinated. Reproduction by seeds dispersed by wind or through barochory.
Habitats and populations. Grows in limestone stony grasslands, sometimes on rocky places and screes, maritime sands; lowland species. Populations are small and fragmented. The species forms almost self-dominated communities or takes part in the grassland vegetation.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Black Sea coast, NE Bulgaria (near Preslav town), Balkan Range (eastern – the region of Aitos town). Reported for the Thracian Lowland and Toundzha Hilly Country but no precise localities have been specified nor has herbarium material been found.
General distribution. SE Europe (Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine), SW Asia (Turkey).
Threats. Changes in the land-use practices in the lowlands and resort development and enlargements in the coastal area cause habitat changes, and thus lead to decrease of the area of occupancy.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species with priority habitats for conservation according to the national Biodiversity Act. Listed in the Bern Convention. Part of the localities in the Black Sea coast floristic region are included in protected territories (Kaliakra Strict Nature Reserve and Pobiti Kamani Protected Sites) and in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Population monitoring aimed at the improvement of the protection regimes for the species. Localization of the occurrences of the species in the Thracian Lowland and Toundhza Hilly Country and elaboration of measures for the species conservation in these areas.
Note. Due to the lack of precise chorological data for the species in the Thracian Lowland and Toundzha Hilly Country its occurrence in these regions has not been mapped.
References. Stojanov 1970; Ančev 2001, 2007; Petrova et al. 2002.
Authors: Mincho Anchev & Valentina Goranova
