Draba korabensis
Draba korabensis Jáv.
Draba tomentosa auct. bulg.1, 3
Brassicaceae – Cabbage family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]. BDA. Balkan endemic.
Morphology and biology. Herbaceous, laxly caespitose perennial. Basal leaves in a rosette, lanceolate to spathulate, subentire, densely stellate-hairy; cauline leaves sessile, with similar indumentum. Inflorescence terminal, few-flowered. Petals white, 3–4 mm long. Fruit a lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate silicula, covered with simple and branched hairs. Seeds small, several in each loculus. Fl. VII–VIII, fr. VIII–IX. Propagates by seeds.
Habitats and populations. Grows in limestone, rocky places in the coniferous forests and subalpine vegetation belts. Takes part in hasmophytic communities together with Androsace villosa, Saxifraga ferdinandi-coburgi, Galium anisophyllon, Campanula cochlearifolia, etc. Populations are small and fragmented.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Pirin Mts (northern); from 1900 to 2300 m alt.
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Albania, Bulgaria, R Macedonia, Serbia).
Threats. The anthropogenic pressures (tourism, trampling) in the species’ distribution area, natural disasters and erosion processes cause deterioration of the habitats and reduction of the area of population occupancy.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species according to the national Biodiversity Act. The localities are within Pirin National Park and in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Research into the factors influencing the population size aimed at the optimisation of the protection regime of the species; restriction of tourist activities in the species areas of occupancy.
References. Vălev 1970; Meshinev 1984; Delipavlov 1987; Ančev 2007; Petrova & Vladimirov 2010.
Authors: Valentina Goranova & Mincho Anchev
