Colchicum davidovii
Colchicum davidovii Stef.
Liliaceae – Lily family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B1ab(ii)]. BDA. Bulgarian endemic.
Morphology and biology. Perennial. Corm ovate-elliptical, ca. 2 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, tunic membranous, reddish brown. Leaves 2–3, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 10–20 cm long, 0.8–1.6 cm wide. Flowers 1–2(3), pale pink; perianth segments lanceolate, 2.5 cm long, 0.4–0.6 cm wide, outer at the base with 2 filiform auricles, ca. 3 mm long. Capsule ovate, with short beak. Fl. II–IV, fr. IV–V.
Habitats and populations. Occurs in dry and stony places, on limestone; in scrub in the belt of xerothermic oak forests. Populations are mosaic, with small numbers of individuals.
Distribution in Bulgaria. NE Bulgaria (Shumen, Targovishte), Balkan Range (eastern – Sliven); up to 1000 m alt.
General distribution. Bulgaria.
Threats. Destruction of habitats; tramping by cattle; adaptation to specific habitat conditions; low migration capacity; rare, strongly fragmented habitat.
Conservation measures taken. The species is protected by the Biodiversity Act. It is included in the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants as “vulnerable.”
Conservation measures needed. Study of the biology and ecology of the species, threats and their negative impacts; elaboration of an action plan for the species; inclusion of the species habitats within the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria; monitoring of the population state; collection of seeds for the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Kuzmanov & Kozhuharov 1964; Kovachev 1984; Walter & Gillet 1998; Bondev 2006.
Author: Svetlana Bancheva
