Medicago rhodopea
Medicago rhodopea Velen.
Fabaceae – Pea family
Conservation status. Vulnerable [VU A4c; B1ab(ii,iii,iv)+2ab(ii,iv); D2]. Bulgarian endemic.
Morphology and biology. Herbaceous perennial with a woody stock. Stems procumbent, strongly branched, woody at base. Leaves 3-foliolate, leaflets linear-cuneate to narrowly lanceolate, entire. Inflorescences ovate, 4–7-flowered. Calyx with 5 clear veins. Corolla yellow or orange. Legume in a spiral, with prominent reticulate venation on the surface. Fl. VI–VII, fr. VII–VIII. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds.
Habitats and populations. Grows on dry, sunny slopes with shallow soil on limestone. Takes part in communities of Dihantium ischaemum and Festuca valesiaca. Populations are with mosaic spatial structure, comprising less than 500 mature individuals.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Forebalkan, Balkan Range (E), Rhodopi Mts (C), Thracian Lowland (Bessaparski Hills), Toundzha Hilly Country; up to 500 m alt.
General distribution. Bulgaria.
Threats. Limited distribution; habitats deterioration and loss due to quarries exploitation and agricultural activities (ploughing, establishment of vineyards, afforestation, grazing, mowing).
Conservation measures taken. One locality is on the territory of Sinite Kamani Nature Park. Some localities are in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Legal protection of the species by the national Biodiversity Act; monitoring on the population sizes and areas of occupancy; optimisation of the sizes and spatial distributions of cultivated fields in order to guarantee stability of Medicago rhodopea populations; habitat restoration near the quarries on Bessaparski Hills; deposition of seeds to the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Nikoloff 1961; Kožuharov 1976, 1992b; Kovachev 1984.
Author: Pepa Ignatova
