Pritzelago alpina
Pritzelago alpina (L.) Kuntze subsp. brevicaulis (Sprengel) Greuter & Burdet
Hutchinsia brevicaulis Sprengell
Brassicaceae – Cabbage family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B1ab(iii)+2ab(ii); C1]. BDA.
Morphology and biology. Small, herbaceous laxly caespitose perennial. Flowering stems 2–5 cm, branched at base, glabrous. Leaves pinnatisect, with 3–7 ovate-lanceolate lobes. Flowers few, in a terminal raceme. Petals 3–4 mm long, white, clawed at base. Fruit a silicula, seeds 1–2 in each loculus. Fl. VII–VIII, fr. VIII–IX. Reproduction by seeds and vegetative means.
Habitats and populations. Grows in stony grasslands, usually on limestone bedrock in the alpine vegetation belt. Populations are small, covering small areas.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Rila Mts (Mramoretski and Ribni Ezera cirques, Rilets peak, Mechi Prohod); between 2400 and 2600 m alt.
General distribution. C (the Alps), S (Apennines, limited distribution), and SE (Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, ?Croatia) Europe.
Threats. Negative changes are caused by grazing and trampling by domestic animals and tourists. Land-slides, floods and erosion are potential threat for the species habitats and populations.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species according to the national Biodiversity Act. The localities are in Rila Monastery Nature Park and in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Population monitoring aimed at the optimization of the species protection regime.
References. Delipavlov 1980; Heywood & Jones 1993; Roussakova 1995; Ančev 2007.
Authors: Valentina Goranova & Mincho Anchev
