Valeriana dioscoridis
Valeriana dioscoridis Sibth. & Sm.
Valerianaceae – Valerian family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B1ab(ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(ii,iii,iv,v); C2a(i)]. BDA.
Morphology and biology. Perennial herbaceous plant with short rhizome, with a cluster of fusiform tubers, without shoots. Stem solitary, 25–90 cm high, with 2–3 pairs of leaves. Basal leaves simple, entire; cauline leaves pinnate, with 3–4 pairs of leaflets, all glabrous. Inflorescence terminal, compound. Flowers hermaphrodite. Corolla tubular, pink or white. Fruits glabrous, sometimes subglabrous to hairy on one surface. Fl. IV–V, fr. VI−VII. Insect, rarely wind pollinated. Reproduction by seeds and vegetative means (with tubers).
Habitats and populations. Occurs in stony, rocky places with shallow, eroded soil in the belt of oak forests. Participates in open shrub communities as single individuals.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Black Sea coast (southern), valley of Struma River (Kresnensko Zhdrelo), Slavyanka Mt, Pirin Mts (Lyaskovets and Sveta Elena peaks); from 50 up to 300(400) m alt.
General distribution. C and SE Europe (reaching Italy and the Balkan Peninsula to the South), SW Asia (Asia Minor) and Mediterranean area.
Threats. Tourism, construction activities, ploughing, grazing and trampling have negative impact on the species populations. Restricted distribution, low number of individuals, strong fragmentation, as well as erosion in the species habitats have additional negative effect on the species.
Conservation measures taken. The species is protected by the Biodiversity Act. Part of the populations are within the borders of Pirin National Park and within sites of the European Ecological Network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Study of the state of the species localities, reproduction biology and the factors having impact on the area and number of individuals in the populations; conservation of seeds in the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria.
References. Richardson 1976; Meshinev 1984; Delipavlov et al. 1995; Pashalieb & Dimitrov 1995.
Author: Lyuba Evstatieva
