Colchicum diampolis
Colchicum diampolis Delip. & Cheshm.
Liliaceae – Lily family
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B1ab(ii)+2ab(iii)]. BDA. Bulgarian endemic.
Morphology and biology. Perennial. Corm ovate, tunic coriaceous, dark reddish brown to dark brown. Leaves 2–5, lanceolate-elliptical to broadly lanceolate, 10–23 cm long, 2.5–6.5 cm wide. Flowers (1)3–5(9), pale pink or white; perianth segments 2.5–3.6 cm long, outer at base with 2 filiform, ca. 3 mm long auricles, inner with inconspicuous auricles. Capsule ovate. Fl. II–III, fr. IV–V. Insect pollination. Reproduction mostly by vegetative means, poorly effective.
Habitats and populations. Occurs in damp to wet meadows and riparian mixed forests, on alluvial soils. Populations are with small number of individuals, strongly fragmented and distant from one another. Only the population in Ormana Protected Site is with relatively good numerical strength.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Znepole Region (along the road Dupnitsa – Kyustendil, at the crossroads to Golyam Varbovnik village), Toundzha Hilly Country (Ormana Protected Site, Yambol district; Hanovo village; between Aitos and Balgarevo village; Tserkovski and Iskra villages).
General distribution. Bulgaria.
Threats. Destruction of the specific habitats and adaptation to their specific conditions; low migration potential of the species; very rare and fragmented habitat.
Conservation measures taken. The species is protected by the Biodiversity Act and is included in the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants as “rare.” Part of the population is within the borders of Ormana Protected Site near Yambol.
Conservation measures needed. Study of the biology and ecology of the species and facilitation of its reproduction in situ; elaboration of an action plan for the species; inclusion of the species habitats in 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; Cheshmetzhiev 1984; Walter & Gillet 1998; Bondev 2006.
Author: Svetlana Bancheva
