Ramonda serbica
Ramonda serbica Pančić
Gesneriaceae – Pyrenean-violet family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)]. IUCN(R), BDA, HD(IV), BC. Balkan endemic. Tertiary relic.
Morphology and biology. Perennial herb. Leaves in a basal rosette, 4–7 × 2–3 cm, rhombic-obovate, fleshy, obtuse at apex, cuneate at base, dentate to crenate, sparsely hairy above, with dense, brown, long hairs beneath. Scapes 6–10 cm, bearing 1–4 flowers. Calyx 3–6 mm long, usually 5-merous, sparsely hairy. Corolla 2.5–3 cm in diameter, 4–5-merous, bluish violet, rarely whitish. Fruit a capsule. Fl. IV–V, fr. V–VI. Reproduction by seeds and vegetative means.
Habitats and populations. Occurs in crevices of limestone rocks by rivers and on rock cliffs, usually with northern exposure. Populations are strongly fragmented. Subpopulations are with variable size ranging from tens of mature individuals to several hundreds of individuals.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Forebalkan (western – Mitrovtsi, Prevala, Dolni Lom, Turgoviste, Vurbovo villages); at 350–900 m alt.
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Albania, Bulgaria, R Macedonia, Greece).
Threats. Habitat deterioration mainly due to climatic changes (changes in the rainfall regimes, drying of smaller rivers during summers) and other anthropogenic activities (e.g. ruderalization); small size of the isolated population fragments; adherence to a specific habitat.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species under the national Biodiversity Act. The localities are included in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Precise estimation of the population size and area of occupancy; designation of some of the localities as protected territories; monitoring of selected subpopulations and deposition of seeds to the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Velchev et al. 1971; Velchev et al. 1973; Vasilev et al. 1975; Vasilev 1984; Markova 1995.
Author: Vladimir Vladimirov
