Anthemis macrantha
Anthemis macrantha Heuff.
Asteraceae – Daisy family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B1ab(iii,iv)+2ab(iii,iv)]. BDA.
Morphology and biology. Perennial herb. Stems 50–100 cm, sparsely hairy to subglabrous. Leaves pinnatisect, green, the basal up to 15 × 10 cm, the middle cauline 9 × 4 cm, segments oblong; rhachis dentate. Capitula 45–65 mm in diameter. Involucral bracts ovate to oblong-lanceolate, acute, with blackish margin and apex. Ligules white. Achenes 2–2.5 mm, not very acute at lateral angles, corona 1/4–1/3 as long as the achene. Fl. VII–IX, fr. VIII–XI. Reproduction by seeds.
Habitats and populations. Grows in grassy places, meadows, by forest roads. The species forms strongly fragmented populations with low numbers of individuals usually growing singly or in small groups.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Western Frontier Mts (Osogovska Mt. – the valley of river Mlachka), up to 1500 m alt. Reported for Vitosha Region (Vitosha Mt.), Znepole Region (Konyavska Mt.), valley of Struma River, Rila Mts, Sredna Gora Mts (Lozenska Mt.) and the Rhodopi Mts. However, the occurrence in these regions has not been confirmed.
General distribution. Bulgaria and Romania.
Threats. Poorly known, but most likely are the strong fragmentation and low density of the populations, low competitiveness of the species and anthropogenic habitat changes.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species under the national Biodiversity Act.
Conservation measures needed. Confirmation and precise location of the current occurrences in the country, establishment of the population sizes and abundance, study of the species’ biology and ecology, major threats, establishment of a protected area in the valley of Mlachka river, elaboration of a management plan including monitoring, collecting of seeds for the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Fernandes 1976; Kuzmanov 1984.
Author: Vladimir Vladimirov
