Cicerbita pancicii
Cicerbita pancicii (Vis.) Beauverd
Asteraceae – Daisy family
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B2ac(i,ii,iv); D]. BDA. Balkan endemic.
Morphology and biology. Perennial. Stems glabrous, 60–130 cm. Leaves 50–60 × 20–170 mm, lyrate-pinnatifid with a large triangular terminal lobe and several pairs of more or less ovate lateral ones shorter and not as wide as the terminal lobe; midrib between lobes with a narrow wing. Capitula 10–17 × 9–12 mm, in a narrow, more or less corymbose panicle; bracts lanceolate or linear-lanceolate. Ligules blue. Achenes 5.5–6.5 mm, triangular in section, not narrowed at apex. Fl. VII–VIII, fr. VIII–IX. Insect pollination. Reproduction by wind-dispersed seeds and vegetative means.
Habitats and populations. Wet, shady places, along streams in coniferous forests. Populations consist of single, scattered individuals.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Rila Mts (Kriva Reka valley, along the path to Rila Monastery); from 1000 to 1600 m alt.
General distribution. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, R Macedonia, Montenegro, W Serbia.
Threats. Unknown. The localities of the species are in areas with low human impact.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species according to the national Biological Diversity Act. The localities of the species are within Rilski Manasti Nature Park and in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Detailed study of the species chorology, density and size of its populations, biology and ecology. A long-term monitoring of the populations. Seeds may be deposited in the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Georgiev 1891; Gaijch 1975; Sell 1976; Petrova & Vladimirov 2010.
Author: Dessislava Dimitrova
