Aubrieta gracilis
Aubrieta gracilis Boiss. subsp. scardica (Wettst.) Phitos
Brassicaceae – Cabbage family
Conservation status. Vulnerable [VU B1ab(iii)+2ab(ii)]. BDA. Balkan endemic.
Morphology and biology. Caespitose perennial with stolons. Leaves lanceolate to obovate, entire or with 1–3 pairs of teeth, with stellate hairs on both faces. Inflorescences terminal, racemose, few-flowered. Petals violet, entire, long-clawed. Siliqua 20–35 mm long. Seeds brown. Fl. VII–VIII, fr. VIII–IX. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds and vegetative means.
Habitats and populations. Grows in calcareous stony and rocky places with shallow and eroded soil, from the coniferous forests belt up to the high mountainous belt. Populations are spatially isolated from each other, strongly fragmented, most often small.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Pirin Mts (northern), Rila Mts (Dvouglav peak, Chatal-Tepe); from 1900 to 2500 m alt.
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, R Macedonia).
Threats. The intensive tourism and trampling cause habitat deterioration and population decline. Erosion processes and natural disasters contribute to a decrease in the species’ area of occupancy.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species according to the national Biodiversity Act. The localities are situated in Rila and Pirin National Parks, Rilomanastirska Gora Strict Nature Reserve and in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Deposition of seeds to the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria. Elaboration of technologies for ex situ propagation and cultivation.
References. Assenov 1970; Bozhilova & Tonkov 1984; Akeroyd & Ball 1993; Ančev 2001, 2007; Ančev & Goranova 2009; Petrova & Vladimirov 2010.
Authors: Valentina Goranova & Mincho Anchev
