Thlaspi bellidifolium
Thlaspi bellidifolium Griseb.
Brassicaceae – Cabbage family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B1ab(ii, iii)+2ab(ii,iii); C2a(i)]. Balkan endemic.
Morphology and biology. Herbaceous glabrous densely caespitose perennial. Stems up to 5–6 cm, ascending to erect. Basal leaves spathulate, dentate, arranged in a rosette; cauline ovate, sessile, auriculate at base. Inflorescence a short terminal raceme. Flowers relatively large; petals pink or lilac. Fruit a silicula, obovate-oblong, truncate; each loculus with 2 seeds. Fl. V–VII, fr. VII–IX. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds and vegetative means.
Habitats and populations. Grows in limestone, stony and rocky grasslands, on shallow and poorly developed humus-carbonate soil in the high mountainous belt. Populations are isolated from each other, strongly fragmented, small.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Slavyanka Mt (Golyam Tsarev peak), Pirin Mts (northern – Vihren peak, Golyam and Malak Kazan, Bayuvi Dupki, Razlozhki Suhodol cirques); from 2000 to 2800 m alt.
General distribution. Balkan Peninusla (Albania, Bulgaria, R Macedonia, Serbia).
Threats. Species habitats and populations are threatened by anthropogenic pressure – tourism development and trampling as well as natural disasters – fires, avalanches, land-slides, erosion processes.
Conservation measures taken. The occurrences of the species are in Pirin National Park, in Bayuvi Dupki - Dzhindzhiritsa and Alibotush Strict Nature Reserves as well as in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Deposition of seeds to the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria; elaboration of technologies for ex situ propagation and cultivation of the species.
References. Vălev 1970; Jalas et al. 1996; Ančev 2001, 2007; Petrova & Vladimirov 2010.
Authors: Valentina Goranova, Pepa Ignatova & Mincho Anchev
