Trifolium ligusticum
Trifolium ligusticum Loisel.
Fabaceae – Pea family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B2ac(i,ii,iii)].
Morphology and biology. Annual herb. Stems 10–40 cm high, with sparse patent hairs. Leave alternate, 3-foliolate, with connate to the middle stipules, long petiolate, becoming shorter upward the stem, pubescent; leaflets (6)10–13(20) mm long, 6–10(12) mm wide, cordate to obovate, pubescent. Flowers ebracteate; heads 6–15 mm long, ovate, single or paired. Calyx 4–6 mm long, with sparse patent hairs up to the apex; calyx tube strongly 10-veined; calyx teeth ultimately divergent, 2–3 times as long as the tube. Corolla zygomorphic, whitish or pink, 2 times shorter than the calyx. Fruit 1–2-seeded legume, ovate, coriaceous, included in the calyx. Fl. IV–V, fr. V–VI. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds.
Habitats and populations. In Pinus maritima plantation. Small in number of populations with limited area of occupancy.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Mt Strandzha (near Kosti village); 50 m alt.
General distribution. SW Europe, Mediterranean, Balkan Peninsula, NW Africa.
Threats. Habitat disturbance under anthropogenic pressures (forestry and agricultural activities).
Conservation measures taken. For protection of the habitats of the species the Biological Diversity Act requires establishment of protected areas in accordance with the regulations of the Protected Areas Act. The locality is within Uzunbudzhak Strict Nature Reserve and in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Collection and deposition of seeds to the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Coombe 1968; Zohary 1970; Kozhuharov 1976, 1984.
Author: Ana Petrova
