Medicago littoralis
Medicago littoralis Loisel
Fabaceae – Pea family
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv)+2ab(ii)].
Morphology and biology. Herbaceous annual. Stems 10–30 cm, procumbent or ascending. Stipules triangular, acuminate. Leaflets obcordate, densely appressed hairy beneath. Inflorescence with 1–6 flowers of which not more than two fruiting. Calyx hairy. Corolla orange, small, up to two times as long as calyx. Legume in a spiral of 3–5 turns, with 6–10 nearly straight radial veins. Seeds small, brownish yellow, separated by a thin membrane. Fl. IV–V, fr. V. Reproduction by seeds which have very low germination capacity. The species has low reproductive potential.
Habitats and populations. Occurs in sandy grasslands along beaches. Two localities has been recently confirmed – in a forest glade to the south of Ahtopol town and along the beach of Lipite bay to the south of Sinemorets village. Populations are small. Being an annual the species is very sensitive to habitat changes. Reported for Veleka River mouth and for the region of Sozopol town – Republikanski beach but not confirmed for more than 2 decades.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Black Sea coast (southern).
General distribution. Mediterranean Area, coastal area of the Black Sea.
Threats. Urbanization in the coastal area; reduction of the size of the beaches and surrounding grasslands due to intensive tourism development; household pollution.
Conservation measures taken. For protection of the habitats of the species the Biological Diversity Act requires establishment of protected areas in accordance with the regulations of the Protected Areas Act. Part of the population is in Silistar Protected Site and in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Deposition of seeds to the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Kožuharov 1976; Petrova 2004a.
Author: Iva Apostolova
