Merendera attica
Merendera attica (Tomm.) Spruner
Merendera rhodopea Velen.1, 2, 3, 6
Liliaceae – Lily family
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B2ab(ii,iv)]; C2a(i)]. Balkan endemic.
Morphology and biology. Herbaceous perennial, with corm. Leaves 3−4, linear to linear-lanceolate. Flowers white, pale violet to violet; perianth segments free to the base. Leaves and flowers appearing simultaneously. Capsule oblong, with 3 apiculate valves. Seeds numerous, small, rounded, smooth. Fl. X−II, fr. I−III. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds (wind dispersal) and vegetative means.
Habitats and populations. Occurs in open grassy and stony places with relatively well developed soil, on limestone or siliceous bedrock in the xerothermic oak-forests belt. Grows mostly in communities dominated by Festuca valesiaca and Dichantium ischaemum. Forms fragmented populations.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Pirin Mts (Southern), Rhodopi Mts (Central – above Asenovgrad town), Thracian Lowland (Besaparski Hills, the hills above Isperihovo village, Pazardzhik district); at 300–600 m alt. Reported for Haskovo town and the hills in Plovdiv.
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bulgaria, Greece).
Threats. Direct and indirect human impact in the localities, grazing, trampling, road construction, building works, picking of flowers for decoration.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species by the national Biodiversity Act. Listed (as M. rhodopea) in 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. The localities are within sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria. A proposal for designation of the localities near Isperihovo village and Asenovgrad town as protected areas has been submitted. An Action plan for conservation of the species is in a process of elaboration.
Conservation measures needed. Detailed studies on the species ecology, biology and reproduction; cultivation in botanical gardens; designation of the locality near Isperihovo village as a protected area; deposition of seeds to the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
Note. The species is included in Annex 3 of the Biological Diversity Act as Merendera rhodopea.
References. Velenovský 1894; Stefanoff 1926; Kožuharov & Kuzmanov 1964; Cheshmedjiev 1970; Stanev 1979; Popova 1984; Ganchev 1992; Pashaliev 1995; Walters & Gillett 1998.
Author: Stefan Stanev
