Hypecoum ponticum
Hypecoum ponticum Velen.
Papaveraceae – Poppy family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B2ab(ii,iv,v)]. Balkan endemic.
Morphology and biology. Annual plant. Stems 10–30 cm high, spreading or ascending, glaucous (as the leaves), waxy. Leaves 2–3-pinnatisect, basal leaves in a rosette. Flowers pale yellow, terminal, solitary or in lax few-flowered inflorescences. Sepals 2, ovoid, dropping off. Petals 4, the outer two elliptical-rhomboid, 8–9 mm long, the inner shorter, cuneate at base, blade tri-lobed, the middle lobe twice as long as the lateral. Fruit is a segmented curved capsule, 4–5 cm long. Fl. VII–IX, fr. VIII–XI. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds.
Habitats and populations. Fixed coastal dunes and sandy terrains. Populations are very fragmented, the area of the subpopulation is restricted. Area of occupancy is less than 20 km2. Contemporary data exist for the populations along the Black Sea coast (Shabla, Batova River mouth, Varna, River Kamchia beach, Slanchev Bryag (Sunny Beach), Arkutino, Perla, south of Chernomorets village). Spots with 1–5 to 100 individuals are typical, covering 1 to 250 m2.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Black Sea coast, valley of Struma River, Rila Mts (Samokov plain); up to 1000 m alt.
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey).
Threats. Main threats are the tourist invasions and infrastructural development of summer resorts; limited distribution. Other negative factors may also act, especially in the inland.
Conservation measures taken. Some localities are in protected areas (the buffer zone of the Baltata Managed Nature Reserve, Kamchiiski Pyasatsi Protected Site, Dyuni Perla Nature Monument) and in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Legal protection of the species by the Biodiversity Act; development of national regulations about the coastal habitats; monitoring of the coastal populations; research on the status of the species in the inland regions.
References. Kuzmanov 1970; Panov 1972; Meshinev et al. 1994; MOEW 1998; Filipova-Marinova et al. 2002.
Author: Antoaneta Petrova
