Tragopogon stribrnyi
Tragopogon stribrnyi Hayek
Asteraceae – Daisy family
Conservation status. Vulnerable [VU B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]. BDA. Bulgarian endemic.
Morphology and biology. Biennial herb. Stems 60–120 cm tall, lanate. Leaves lanceolate, 10–40 mm wide, with undulate margin, hairy. Peduncles not inflated. Involucral bracts approx. 8. Ligules yellow, slightly longer than involucre. Achenes with small scales, shortly beaked; pappus of plumose hairs. Fl. V–VII, fr. VI–VIII. Reproduction by seeds.
Habitats and populations. Grows in grassy and stony places on hills, glades in the xerothermic oak forest vegetation belt, usually on thin soils. The species has been recorded in the past in extensively cultivated vineyards. Populations are fragmented and small.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Black Sea coast (southern – Eminska Mt.), Rhodopi Mts (central – Asenovgrad region), Thracian Lowland (Popovitsa village), Toundzha Hilly Country (Kamenna Reka village, Yambol district); up to 500 m alt. All these localities have not been confirmed for more than 50 years. Reported for the Black Sea coast (northern), Vitosha Region, Rila Mts, and Rhodopi Mts (W, E), probably due to misidentification of similar species, and these localities therefore need confirmation.
General distribution. Bulgaria.
Threats. Habitats loss due to agricultural activities (ploughing, overgrazing), establishment of forest plantations, natural succession from grasslands to scrub and forest, changes in the land-use practices (eradication of the old vineyards, intensification of the agricultural use); limited area of occupancy and small population sizes; low competitiveness of the species.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species under the national Biodiversity Act. Some of the localities of the species are within sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Confirmation of the localities and estimation of the populations sizes and areas of occupancy; studies on the species’ biology and ecology and the impact of the particular threats; establishment of some of the localities (after confirmation) as protected territories; monitoring of selected subpopulations and deposition of seeds to the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Penev 1984; Anchev 1992.
Author: Vladimir Vladimirov
