Gentiana lutea
Gentiana lutea L.
Gentianaceae – Gentian family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B1ab(ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(ii); C2a(i)]. BDA.
Morphology and biology. Perennial herbaceous plant with thick, vertical rhizome and sterile shoots. Stems 50–80 cm high, solitary or several together, not branched, wrapped at base by the sheaths of the basal leaves. Basal leaves 12–20 cm long, 5–10 cm wide, with 4–5 veins; cauline leaves smaller, with 3 veins. Flowers many, in axillary and terminal cymes. Calyx twice as short as the corolla, slightly inflated, scarious. Corolla 16–25 mm long, yellow, without spots, 5–7-lobed, lobes linear, patent, much longer than the corolla tube. Capsule 10–12 mm long, oblong-lanceolate. Seeds globose, with broad scarious wings, tuberculate. Fl. VI–VII, fr. VII−IX. Insect, rarely wind pollination. Reproduction by seeds and vegetative means.
Habitats and populations. Occurs on stony slopes and wood meadows, near the timberline, on silicate or limestone. Soils most often thick, variably moist. Slope varies from almost flat to 45º. Most of the habitats are open, with southern exposures.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Balkan Range, Vitosha, Pirin, Rila, Rhodopi Mts; between 1600 and 2150 m alt.
General distribution. C and SE Europe, Iberian Peninsula, Corsica and Sardinia, Balkan Peninsula, expanding to Asia Minor and India.
Threats. Active development of mountain tourism, road construction, collection as medicinal plant (digging out of whole plants together with roots and rhizomes); restricted distribution, low reproduction potential, high death rate of young individuals and low growth rate (seedlings start flowering in their eighth year) additionally have negative impact on the population state and cause its reduction and extinction.
Conservation measures taken. The species is protected by the Biodiversity Act. Part of the populations are within the borders of Central Balkan, Rila and Pirin National Parks, Parangalitsa and Centralen Rilski Strict Nature Reserves, Rila Monastery Nature Park in Rila Mts; Bayuvi Dupki-Dzhindzhiritsa and Yulen Strict Nature Reserves in Pirin Mts, Severen Dzhendem, Peeshti Skali, Starata Reka and Tsarichina Strict Nature Reserves in Central Balkan Range, Vitosha Nature Park. Significant part of the localities are within sites of the European Ecological Network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Study of state of the localities, reproduction biology and the factors that have impact on the area and number of individuals of the populations with the aim to optimize the conservation measures. Conservation of species in the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria; ex situ cultivation of the species.
References. Kozhuharov & Petrova 1982; Ganchev 1984; Kozhuharova 1994, 1995; Kozhuharova et al. 1994; Vladimirov & Kozhuharov 1997; Evstatieva & Vitkova 2000; Vitkova & Evstatieva 2000; Evstatieva & Hardalova 2000; Georgieva & Evstatieva 2000; Georgieva & Roussakova 2000; Georgieva 2003.
Author: Lyuba Evstatieva
