Dianthus nardiformis
Dianthus nardiformis Janka
Caryophyllaceae – Pink family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B2ab(ii,iv,v)]. IUCN(R), BDA.
Morphology and biology. Perennial caespitose herb. Stems up to 10 cm high, with short internodes at the base, branched. Leaves opposite, 1–2 cm long, linear-lanceolate, coriaceous, acute. Flowers solitary, pink, 1.5–2.2 cm. Petals dentate, bearded. Fruit capsule. Fl. VI–VIII, fr. VII–IX. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds; recruitment is poor.
Habitats and populations. Tertiary sands in the natural phenomenon Pobiti Kamani (limited occurrence, more often at stony outlets, in 6 of the groups) and on cretaceous limestone (rock ring formations, sometimes screes) in Nikopol plateau in the Danubian Plain. The vegetation cover is open, consisting of psammophytes and chasmophytes. In Nikopol area participates in the endemic association Lino linearifolii-Gypsophiletum glomeratae Tzonev 2002. The populations are small; the area of occupancy is less than 2 km2, the mean density is up to 1 individual per 0.25 m2.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Black Sea coast (northern – Pobiti Kamani), NE Bulgaria (Provadia town area, not confirmed since 1920), Danubian Plain (region around Nikopol town and Lyubenovo, Muselievo, Vabel, Evlogievo villages); up to 200 m alt.
General distribution. Bulgaria, Romania.
Threats. Afforestation with Pinus nigra and Robinia pseudoacacia and subsequent self-establishment and spread; destruction of the habitats due to sand or limestone pitting; grazing and tourist activities act negatively in some places; in 2 of the groups of Pobiti Kamani the invasive alien species Opuntia vulgaris seriously threaten the subpopulations.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species by the Biodiversity Act. Included in 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants with a category “rare”. Some of the localities are in protected areas (Pobiti Kamani Protected Sites; Persina Nature Park) and in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Strict implementation of the limitations legally envisaged in the protected areas; designation of new protected areas; monitoring of the populations, especially in the localities with invasive species; raising public awareness about the conservation value of the species; storage of seeds in the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Stojanoff & Achtaroff 1935; Jordanov 1939; Stojanov 1966; Petrova 1997; Filipova-Marinova & Petrova 2003; Tzonev 2004.
Authors: Antoaneta Petrova & Rosen Tsonev
