Asperula suberosa
Asperula suberosa Sibth. & Sm.
Asperula aristata var. pirinica (Stoj. & Acht.) Ančev3
Rubiaceae – Bedstraw family
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]. BDA. Balkan endemic. Tertiary relict.
Morphology and biology. Perennial herb. Stems (3)5–15 cm tall, with patent hairs ca. 0.1 mm. Leaves in whorls of 4, narrowly lanceolate to linear, with hyaline apex and revolute margin. Inflorescence a lax panicle; corolla purplish or reddish, hypocrateriform, lobes short, appendiculate. Fruit dry, consisting of 2 reniform mericarps. Fl. VII–VIII, fr. VIII–X. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds dispersed through barochory, and rarely through mirmecochory.
Habitats and populations. On calcareous rocky slopes and stony grasslands, on shallow and eroded soil in the high mountain belt. Occurs together with Festuca pirinensis, Kernera saxatilis, Alyssum repens, Anthylis aurea, Potentilla apennina etc. Populations fragmented, small.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Pirin Mts (northern – Vihren and Sinanitsa peaks, Kamenititsa and Kazanite cirques); from 2000 up to 2900m alt.
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bulgaria, N Greece).
Threats. The intensive tourism and trampling by tourists away from the marked trails cause habitat deterioration and disturbance of the species reproduction. Erosion processes and natural disasters contribute to the decrease of the species’ area of occupancy.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species according to the national Biodiversity Act. The localities are situated in Pirin National Park and Bayuvi Dupki - Dzhindzhiritsa Strict Nature Reserve as well as in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Population monitoring aiming at optimization of the protection regimes of the species. Restriction of tourist hiking and trampling to the marked trails.
References. Ehrendorfer & Krendl 1976; Ančev 1984, 1989.
Authors: Valentina Goranova & Mincho Anchev
