Lycopodiella inundata
Lycopodiella inundata (L.) Holub
Lepidotis inundata (L.) C. Börner1, Lycopodium inundatum L.3
Lycopodiaceae – Club moss Family
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv)]. BDA.
Morphology and biology. Perennial herb. Vegetative stems creeping, short, rooting at intervals, sparingly branched. Fertile stems erect, simple, 3–8 cm high. Leaves linear-subulate, on prostrate shoots curved upwards, on fertile shoots spreading in all directions. Cones solitary, terminal, sessile, 1–3 cm long. Sporangia solitary, axillary. Reproduction vegetatively or by spores. Spores ripening VIII–X.
Habitats and populations. Permanent moisture necessary. On vegetation-free patches in Sphagnum-dominated mires in the coniferous forest belt. Six localities are known; in some of them the species is probably extinct. Only 2 localities have been confirmed during the past decade – Smolyanski Ezera where the population exists with numerous individuals, but with mosaic structure, in rather small area, and Chairski Ezera with a very small population occupying an area of approx. 2 m2.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Rila Mts (Kourtovo), Rhodopi Mts (central – around Smolyan, Smolyanski Ezera, Chairski Ezera); 1200–1700 m alt.
General distribution. Europe (except the Mediterranean region), Azores, Asia (W Siberia, the Baykal area, Japan), N America (Canada and northern parts of USA).
Threats. Climate aridisation; limited distribution of the species; invasion of competitors and overgrowth of the bare peat patches; habitat loss and degradation as a consequence of drainage and drying up.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species according to the national Biodiversity Act. Chairski Ezera locality is within Chairite Protected Site. Some localities lie within a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria. A proposal for designation of the locality near Smolyan town as a protected area has been submitted. An Action plan for conservation of the species is in a process of elaboration.
Conservation measures needed. Research on the population number and range, species biology and ecology, threats. Elaboration of an action plan for protection of the species. Population monitoring. Habitat maintenance and conservation. Preservation of genetic material in genome resource bank.
References. Jordanoff 1940; Achtarov & Jordanov 1963; Stanev 1975b; Bozhilova & Tonkov 1984; Vodenicharov & Vassilev 1999.
Author: Daniella Ivanova
