Dianthus pontederae
Dianthus pontederae A. Kern subsp.kladovanus (Degen) Stoj. & Stef.
Caryophyllaceae– Pink family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B2ab(iv)]. BDA.
Morphology and biology. Perennial caespitose herb. Stems 25–40 (60) cm high. Leaves linear, 25–40 × 2–4 mm, pointed. Sheaths of cauline leaves 3–5 times as long as the diameter of the stem. Flowers in dense heads, light purple. Inflorescence bracts oval, with narrow scarious margins. Calyx 7–9 × 2–3 mm. Corolla up to 1.5 cm in diameter, petals 3–5 mm, dentate. Fruit a capsule. Fl. VI–VII, fr. VII–VIII. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds; recruitment is poor.
Habitats and populations. Locally spread, contemporary data exist only for Pobiti Kamani nature monument, Varna district – groups Avrenska Polyana (the population occupies an area of 500 m2 and numbers approx. 120 individuals) and Pchelina (less than 20 m2, 5 individuals). Repeated observations in the period 1989 – 2003 have shown the plants are in generative phase and there is no recruitment or increase in numbers.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Black Sea Coast (Northern – Pobiti Kamani), Danubian Plain (Nikopol town, between Debovo and Lyubenovo villages), Forebalkan (western – Belogradchik town and Pastrinata locality near Montana town); up to 500 m alt.
General distribution. SE Europe (Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria).
Threats. Afforestation with Pinus nigra and Robinia pseudoacacia and the subsequent self-establishment and spread; destruction of the habitats due to sand or limestone pitting; intensive grazing is a threat in some locations; in the Avrenska Polyana group of Pobiti Kamani the invasive cactus Opuntia vulgaris Mill. threatens the subpopulation.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species by the Biodiversity Act. Some populations are within Pobiti Kamani Protected Sites and in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Strict implementation of the legally envisaged limitations in the protected areas; studies for confirmation of the previously reported localities and for discovery of new ones; 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.
Notes. In the Herbarium of the Agrarian University in Plovdiv (SOA) there are samples from Rhodopi Mts, erroneously identified as D. pontederae; report of Jordanov (1928) from Razgrad area is a mis-identification for D. giganteus D’Urv. f. intermedius Boiss. (Stojanov & Achtarov 1935); report of Asenov (2010) for Zemenska Mt (Znepole region) is based on erroneously identified plant.
References. Kovachev 1905; Davidov 1909; Jordanov 1928; Stojanov & Achtarov 1935; Stojanov 1966; Petrova 1992, 1997; Filipova-Marinova & Petrova 2003; Asenov 2010.
Author: Antoaneta Petrova
