Euphorbia aleppica
Euphorbia aleppica L.
Euphorbiaceae – Spurge family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B2ab(ii,iv)]. BDA.
Morphology and biology. Annual herb. Stems simple or branched from the base, 15–40 cm high, very leafy, but almost without leaves at fruit maturity, with relief traces after the leaf-fall, with 2–6(12) branches (rays) in the upper part. Cauline leaves sessile, green, later becoming yellow or red. Ray-leaves 5, green or grey-green; raylet-leaves subtending the ultimate branches 2, with a long awn at apex. Fruit a capsule. Fl. V–VI, fr. VI–VIII. Reproduction by seeds.
Habitats and populations. Adventive participant in grass communities, weed in agricultural crops. In dry grassy and stony places beside roads and settlements, often in corn-fields, in regions with chromic luvisols and alluvial-deluvial fluvisols, in the plains and foothills.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Valley of Struma River (southern – Pripechene and Marino Pole villages), Thracian Lowland (between Kalofer and Plovdiv towns), Toundzha Hilly Plain (Robovo village, Yambol district; between Elhovo town and Malomirovo village); from 50 up to 300 m alt. The species is reported for Slavyanka Mt (Vranya village, above Petrovo village, between Katountsi and Petrovo villages, between Katountsi and Yanovo villages). None of the above-mentioned localities has been confirmed since 1963.
General distribution. SE Europe, C and E Mediterranean region, Crimea, SW Asia.
Threats. Limited distribution of the species; agriculture intensification; abandonment of agricultural lands, invasion of competitive plant species and subsequent process of turfing.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species according to the national Biodiversity Act. Some of the species localities are in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Research on population number and range. Preserving of seed material in the National Seed Genebank of Bulgaria.
References. Kuzmanov 1963, 1979, 1984a.
Author: Daniella Ivanova
