Alyssum orbelicum
Alyssum orbelicum Ančev & Uzunov
Brassicaceae – Cabbage family
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B1ab(iii)]. BDA. Bulgarian endemic. Glacial relict.
Morphology and biology. Perennial, caespitose herb with short sterile rosettes and densely leafy stems. Leaves alternate, silver-grey, covered with stellate hairs. Flowering stems 2.5−6 cm high. Inflorescence a corymb with yellow flowers. Fruit a silicula, each loculus with 1 seed. Seeds narrowly winged. Fl. VII−VIII, fr. VIII−IX. Most likely insect pollinated, rarely self-pollinated. Reproduction by seeds dispersed by wind and through barochory.
Habitats and populations. Grows in open stony places on slopes with southern exposure usually on shallow, eroded soils in the alpine vegetation belt. Other high-mountain plants such as Sesleria korabensis, Armeria alpina, Galium anysophillon, Saxifraga ferdinandi-coburgi, and Campanula cochlearifolia grow in close proximity. Only one small population is known with not more than 200 individuals.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Pirin Mts (northern – the slopes of Banski Souhodol cirque); between 2350 and 2450 m alt.
General distribution. Bulgaria.
Threats. The very local distribution area of the species, small population size, mountain tourism threaten the species with extinction.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species according to the national Biodiversity Act. The locality is included in the Pirin National Park and in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Studies on the species reproductive biology, ex situ cultivation with subsequent re-introduction of the species in suitable habitats.
References. Ančev & Uzunov 2002; Petrova & Velčev 2006; Ančev 2007.
Authors: Mincho Anchev & Valentina Goranova
