Crocus tommasinianus
Crocus tommasinianus Herb.
Iridaceae – Iris family
Conservation status. Vulnerable [VU B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)]. BDA.
Morphology and biology. Perennial herb up to 12 cm high. Corm nearly spherical. Leaves 3–5, linear, flat, up to 20–25 × 0.3–0.5 cm, glabrous. Flowers 1(2), with a membranous bract. Perianth-tube up to 8 cm long, whitish; perianth segments 2.5–3.5 cm, bluish lilac. Anthers yellow. Capsule 1.5–2 × 0.7–0.9 cm. Fl. I–III, fr. III–IV. Reproduction by seeds and vegetatively through corms.
Habitats and populations. Grows in grassy places and deciduous woods in the oak forest belts. The species usually forms large populations of thousands of individuals gathered in groups.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Forebalkan (western – Vrushka Chouka, south of Koula town, the slopes above Kiryaevo village); up to 750 m alt.
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, R Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia), Hungary.
Threats. Potential threat for the species is the habitats destruction, e.g. through wood cutting and use of land for agricultural purposes.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species under the national Biodiversity Act. Part of the population occurs within Vrashka Chuka Protected Site.
Conservation measures needed. Comprehensive investigation into the species ecology and biology, monitoring of selected populations, deposition of seeds in the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria and integration of Vrashka Chuka hill in the national ecological network Natura 2000.
References. Velčev 1964, Velchev 1984.
Author: Vladimir Vladimirov
