Jurinea tzar-ferdinandii
Jurinea tzar-ferdinandii Davidov
Asteraceae – Daisy family
Conservation status. Vulnerable [VU B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)]. BDA. Balkan endemic.
Morphology and biology. Perennial herb with a woody rhizome. Stems 15–30 cm, leafy throughout. Basal leaves 4–15 cm long, narrowly linear, with entire, revolute margin, green above, whitish arachnoid beneath. Capitula several, 15–20 × 4.5–7 mm, cylindrical to obconical. Involucral bracts linear-lanceolate, long-acuminate at apex, straight and appressed, subglabrous or arachnoid, the inner longer than the outer. Achenes 3–4 mm, tetragonal, glabrous; pappus 3–4 times as long as the achene. Fl. VI–VIII, fr. VIII–X. Reproduction mainly by seeds but also by vegetative means (through rhizomatous shoots).
Habitats and populations. Grows in open, dry, grassy and rocky places and eroded ground on limestone. Forms strongly fragmented populations; subpopulations are usually small.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Black Sea coast (northern – Balchik town), NE Bulgaria, (Novi Pazar, Provadia, the villages of Kamenyak, Enevo, Nevsha), Balkan Range (eastern – Topolitsa village), Znepole Region (Chepun Mt Above Dragoman town), Toundzha Hilly Country (Aitos town); up to 1200 m alt.
General distribution. Bulgaria, Romania.
Threats. Habitat loss or deterioration due to agricultural activities, establishment of forest plantations, construction works; strong fragmentation of the populations and small numbers of individuals in most subpopulations.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species under the national Biodiversity Act. The locality on Chepun Mt is included in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Precise estimation of the population sizes and densities; studies inot the species’ biology and ecology and the impact of the particular threats in each locality; designation of Chepun Mt as a Protected Area; monitoring of selected populations; deposition of seeds to the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Kožuharov 1976; Kuzmanov 1984; Velčev & Vassilev 2002; Vladimirov 2006.
Author: Vladimir Vladimirov
