Hieracium virosum
Hieracium virosum Pall.
Asteraceae – Daisy family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B1ab(ii,iii,iv)+2ab(ii,iii,iv)].
Morphology and biology. Perennial herb. Stem 50–120 cm tall, subglabrous to sparsely hairy, densely and evenly leafy. Leaves cauline, 30–110 × 10–35 mm, ovate, remotely dentate, sessile, with rigid simple eglandular hairs, especially on the margin and midvein beneath, rarely subglabrous. Synflorescence paniculate to nearly corymbose, with numerous capitula. Involucre cylindrical, 8.5–10 mm long. Involucral bract imbricate, appressed, usually glabrous. Achenes dark brown; pappus dirty white. Fl. VIII–IX, fr. IX. Reproduction mostly by seeds.
Habitats and populations. Occurs in grasslands, open shrubs and forest margins in the lowlands. Forms strongly fragmented populations. Each subpopulation consists of tens to a few hundred individuals, scattered solitary or in smaller or larger groups.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Black Sea coast (northern), NE Bulgaria, Danubian Plain; up to 600 m alt. Reported in the past for the Forebalkan, Balkan Range (western, eastern), Sofia region, Vitosha region, but these occurrences need confirmation.
General distribution. E Europe, N and C Asia.
Threats. Replacement of the primary grassy vegetation with agricultural land and forest plantations; settlement enlargement; abandonment of the pastures and meadows leading to enlargement of the forest areas, including enlargement of the areas covered by the invasive species Ailanthus altissima.
Conservation measures taken. Two of the localities are included in protected territories (Mogilata Protected Site, Kaliakra Strict Nature Reserve) and in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Protection of the species under the national Biodiversity Act; precise estimation of the population size and area of occupancy; studies on the species’ biology and ecology and the impact of the particular threats; monitoring of selected populations and deposition of seeds to the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Sell & West 1976.
Author: Vladimir Vladimirov
