Seseli degenii
Seseli degenii Urum.
Apiaceae – Carrot family
Conservation status. Vulnerable [VU B2ab(iv); C2b; D1]. BDA. Bulgarian endemic.
Morphology and biology. Perennial herbaceous plant with tapering rhizome. Stem 40–120 cm, with reticulate cover at base. Leaves 1–3-pinnatifid, lobes linear. Flowers small, white, 20–30 in umbels. Fruit elliptical, with 3 robust ridges and 4 vittae. Fl. VI–VII, fr. VII–VIII. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds.
Habitats and populations. Occurs in dry, rocky places, on limestone in the xerothermic oak forests and beech forests belts. Populations are with good number of individuals. Participates in hasmophytic vegetation together with Campanula sibirica, Achillea clypeolata, Acinos suaveolens, Asperula purpurea, Melica ciliata, Allium flavum, Dianthus petraeus, Silene flavescens, etc.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Danubian Plain (Chomakovtsi, Deventsi and Sadovets villages, Cherven Bryag municipality), Forebalkan (eastern – Kunino railway station, Cherven Bryag, Glozhene village, Lukovit, Karlukovo village, Reselets railway station, Ugarchin, Glogovo, Bezhanovo, Breste, Gradezhnitsa, Teteven municipality; Petrevene and Uglen villages, Lukovit region; Malak Izvor and Dragoitsa villages, Yablanitsa region; Belyakovets village, Veliko Tarnovo region), Balkan Range (central – Lopyan village, Etropole region and Teteven); 150–650 m alt.
General distribution. Bulgaria.
Threats. Marble quarries in the species’ localities; tourism.
Conservation measures taken. The species is protected by the Biodiversity Act. The species is included in the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants as “rare.” Some localities are within sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Proclamation of protected areas to conserve some of the localities of the species.
References. Urumov 1923; Peev 1984, 1992.
Author: Dimitar Dimitrov
