Senecio paludosus
Senecio paludosus L.
Asteraceae – Daisy family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv)]. BDA.
Morphology and biology. Perennial herb. Stems 50–200 cm, erect, arachnoid-lanate, branched above or only in the synflorescence, leafy. Leaves gradually decreasing in size along the stem, basal and lower cauline 10–20 × 1–2.5 cm, linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, acute, serrate, shortly petiolate, usually glabrous above, arachnoid-lanate or -tomentose beneath; upper cauline leaves sessile. Capitula 30–40 mm in diameter, in a panicle or corymb. Ligules yellow. Achenes about 3 mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Fl. VI–VIII, fr. VIII–X. Reproduction by seeds and vegetative means.
Habitats and populations. Damp to moist places by streams, rivers and fens. Populations are strongly fragmented, usually small, but sometimes the species forms homogeneous stands.
Distribution in Bulgaria. NE Bulgaria (Rouse and Silistra districts), Danubian Plain (Orsoya village, Belene, Svistov district), Thracian Lowland. In the past the species occurred in Vitosha Region (lower valley of Palakariya river, locality destroyed with the construction of Iskur dam), Rila Mts (Samokov region), Rhodopi Mts (western – Batashko marshland); up to 1000 m alt.
General distribution. Europe (but absent from parts of NW Europe and the Mediterranean region), Asia.
Threats. Habitats degradation and loss due to fen and marshland draining, redirection of river beds, domestic pollution.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species under the national Biodiversity Act. Some of the localities are included in Persina Nature Park or in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Precise estimation of the population size and area of occupancy; studies on the species biology and ecology and the impact of the particular threats in each locality; monitoring of selected subpopulations; deposition of seeds to the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Chater & Walters 1976; Ganchev 1984; Delipavlov 2003.
Author: Vladimir Vladimirov
