Centaurea calocephala
Centaurea calocephala Willd.
Centaurea atropurpurea Waldst. & Kit.1, 2, 4
Asteraceae – Daisy family
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)]. BDA.
Morphology and biology. Perennial plant with stout rhizome. Stem sparingly branched, (30)100–150 cm. Leaves 1–2 pinnate; lobes 2–3(20) mm wide. Capitula 20–30 mm in diameter. Involucrum globose, 14–18 mm wide. Appendages of the involucral bracts triangular, dark brown, with whitish fimbriae, covering entirely the bracts. Florets dark purple; inner tubular; peripheral ray, somewhat longer than the inner. Achenes and pappus equal in length, c. 4 mm. Fl. VI–VIII, fr. VII–IX. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds.
Habitats and populations. Stony places on limestone in the belt of the xerothermic oak belt. Two populations with total area of c. 2000 km2 are known. The population in Vrashka Chuka is in a good state and consists of hundreds of individuals, while that in the locality of Bekinska Shoburka (near Chuprene Strict Nature Reserve) consists only of 15 flowering individuals.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Forebalkan (western – Vrashka Chuka), Balkan Range (western – Bekinska Shoburka locality near Chuprene Strict Nature Reserve); 680–1300 m alt.
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, R Macedonia, Serbia) and Romania.
Threats. Deterioration of habitats (erosion); low reproductive potential of the species; specificity of the habitat.
Conservation measures taken. The species is protected by the Biodiversity Act. Some localities are within sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Study of the biology and ecology of species; threats; elaboration of an action plan; monitoring of the population state and collection of seeds for the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Dostál 1976; Ninova 1984; Dimova & Vladimirov 2006; Greuter, 2008.
Author: Svetlana Bancheva
