Gentiana punctata
Gentiana punctata L.
Gentianaceae – Gentian family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B1ab(ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(ii); C2a(i)]. BDA.
Morphology and biology. Perennial herbaceous plant with thick, vertical rhizome and sterile shoots. Stems 20–40 cm high, solitary or several, not branched, wrapped at base by the sheaths of the basal leaves. Basal leaves 6–10 cm long, 5–7 cm wide, with 5–7 veins; cauline leaves shorter, with 3–4 veins. Flowers sessile, crowded in terminal and axillary clusters. Calyx 5–7 mm long, 4–5 times as short as the corolla, campanulate, scarious. Corolla 25–30 mm long, greenish yellow, with dark violet spots, 5–7-lobed, lobes shorter than the corolla tube, appendages very short. Capsule 20–25 mm long, fusiform. Seeds globose, with broad, scarious wings, reticulate. Fl. VI–VII, fr. VII−IX. Insect, rarely wind pollination. Reproduction by seeds and vegetative means.
Habitats and populations. Occurs in alpine meadows and on stony, often very steep slopes, in stone rivers and screes, as well as in rock niches almost without soil layer. The slope of the localities vary from 10º to 45º, exposure is northern, northeastern or northwestern. Grows mostly on siliceous bedrock. Soils are mostly skeletal, thin, often with rock openings. Soil humidity is good due to the proximity of lakes or snow-drifts.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Balkan Range, Vitosha region, Pirin Mts, Rila Mts; between 1800 and 2700 m alt. The species is reported also for the Western Rhodopi Mts and Osogovo Mt but the localities have not been confirmed in the last 70 years.
General distribution. C and SE Europe, Iberian Peninsula, Corsica and Sardinia, Balkan Peninsula, expanding to Asia Minor and India.
Threats. Active development of mountain tourism, road construction, collection as medicinal plant for personal use or for export (digging out of whole plants together with roots and rhizomes); restricted distribution, low reproduction potential, high death rate of young individuals and low growth rate (seedlings start flowering in their eighth year) additionally have negative impact on the population state; potential threat from fires. Detailed studies in the past 10 years have shown decrease and even extinction of some populations.
Conservation measures taken. The species is protected by the national Biodiversity Act. Part of the populations are within the borders of Central Balkan, Rila and Pirin National Parks; Parangalitsa and Centralen Rilski Strict Nature Reserves, Rila Monastery Nature Park; Bayuvi Dupki-Dzhindzhiritsa and Yulen Strict Nature Reserves; Severen Dzhendem, Peeshti Skali, Starata Reka and Tsarichina Strict Nature Reserves; Vitosha Nature Park, etc. Significant part of the localities are within sites of the Natura 2000.
Conservation measures needed. Studies of the state of the localities, reproduction biology and the factors which have impact on the area and number of individuals of the populations with the aim to optimize the conservation measures; conservation of species in the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria; ex situ cultivation of the species.
References. Kozhuharov & Petrova 1982; Ganchev 1984; Kozhuharova 1994, 1995; Kozhuharova et al. 1994; Vladimirov & Kozhuharov 1997; Evstatieva & Vitkova 2000; Vitkova & Evstatieva 2000; Evstatieva & Hardalova 2000; Georgieva & Evstatieva 2000; Georgieva & Roussakova 2000; Georgieva 2003.
Author: Lyuba Evstatieva
