Centaurea trinervia
Centaurea trinervia Willd.
Asteraceae – Daisy family
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR D]. Tertiary relict.
Morphology and biology. Herbaceous perennial. Stems erect or suberect, up to 30 cm high. Plants sparsely floccose-tomentose. Leaves linear-lanceolate, entire, acute, 30–70 × 3–5 mm; upper sessile, 3-veined. The upper part of the flowering stems leafless; capitula solitary. Involucre 6–10 × 12–15 mm; bracts pale-green, with a darker, brown apex; middle bracts oblong-ovate. Appendages not or very shortly decurrent on the bracts, creamy, pectinate-laceratae. Florets pink. Fl. VI, fr. VII. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds.
Habitats and populations. Grows in dry sunny places on clayey marls, with sparse vegetation. A single known population with several individuals.
Distribution in Bulgaria. NE Bulgaria (Taushan Tepe near Nevsha village, Varna district); up to 300 m alt.
General distribution. Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Moldova, Ukraine.
Threats. Limited distribution; attempts at afforestation.
Conservation measures taken. The population is within a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria. A proposal for designation of the locality as a protected area has been submitted. An Action plan for conservation of the species is in a process of elaboration.
Conservation measures needed. Inclusion of the species in the list of legally protected plants in Bulgaria. Monitoring of the population; inventory of the adjacent areas for new localities of the species.
References. Prodan & Nyárády 1964; Dostál 1976; Petrova 2007.
Author: Antoaneta Petrova
