Syntrichia pagorum
Syntrichia pagorum (Milde) Amann
Syntrichia laevipila Brid.3
Pottiaceae
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B2ab(iii)].
Morphology and biology. Perennial acrocarpous moss. Tufts to 0.5 cm high, flat, lax, greyish green or dark green. Leaves thick, hard, 1.3–1.8 mm long, elongated, ovate, with rounded point sometimes concave in the middle. Nerve strong, projecting beyond the end of the tip as long hair. Sporophyte cylindrical, erect, on high stalk. The vegetative reproduction is by means of elliptical or lanceolate leaf-like gemmae, multicellular in thickness and densely papillate. Bisexual, rarely unisexual.
Habitats and populations. Plants grow on trunks of Platanus orientalis and Juniperus excelsa, forming small tufts with an area of several cm2.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Valley of Struma River (Southern – Kresna gorge, Tisata Strict Nature Reserve).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro), Europe, Caucasus (Georgia), North America. Sub-Mediterranean species.
Threats. Air pollution, drying up.
Conservation measures taken. The species locality is in area of Tisata Strict Nature Reserve and in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Long-term study, assessment of the trends in habitat changes, prognosis for population development and based on this identification of appropriate conservation measures; legal protection of the species.
References. Ganeva 1992.
Author: Anna Ganeva
