Fritillaria drenovskii
Fritillaria drenovskii Degen & Stoj.
Liliaceae – Lily family
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B2ab(ii,iii,v)]. IUCN(V), BDA, BC. Balkan endemic.
Morphology and biology. Perennial bulbous herb. Stems 15–45 cm, reddish at base. Leaves green to bluish-green, narrowly linear, acute, flat or sometimes slightly canaliculate, usually alternate; uppermost ones single, rarely in a whorl of 2–3 at base of flower petioles. Flowers solitary, rarely 2–6, nodding, narrowly campanulate to conical, deep purplish to reddish-brown, not tessellated, sometimes with yellow margins outside, yellow to yellowish-orange inside. Stigma 3-lobed. Fl. IV–V, fr. VI–VII. Reproduction by seeds and vegetatively (forming daughter bulbs at the base of the mother bulb).
Habitats and populations. On dry, calcareous steep slopes, rocky grounds and meadows, in open stony and grassy places, in beech and coniferous forests. Populations are dispersed, with low number of individuals growing in small groups or solitary.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Slavyanka Mt, Pirin Mts (Southern – Lyaskovski peak, Sveta Elena peak); 1000–1800 m alt.
General distribution. SW Bulgaria, NE Greece.
Threats. Limited distribution of the species; low density of the populations; very low reproduction potential; flower damage by insects; trampling; collecting of cut flowers or extirpation for cultivation in gardens.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species according to the national Biodiversity Act. Included in 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants with a category “vulnerable”. Most of the species localities are in the area of Alibotush Strict Nature Reserve in Slavyanka Mt and in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Research on the population number and range, species biology and ecology, threats. Preserving of seed material in the National Seed Genebank of Bulgaria.
References. Stojanoff 1931; Rechinger 1933; Yanev 1964; Popova 1984; Walter & Gillet 1998; Dimitrov 2010.
Author: Daniella Ivanova
