International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Applied Science (IJSEAS) – Volume-3, Issue-10, October 2017 ISSN: 2395-3470 www.ijseas.com Flora of Dragoevska Mountain (Northeastern Bulgaria) Dimcho Zahariev University of Shumen, Shumen, Bulgaria E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Dragoevska Mountain consists of folded limestone- Dragoevska Mountain is located in Northeastern Bulgaria. marble layers of the Preslav anticline, dating from Lower Inventory of its flora is made for the first time. As a result, Cretaceous. The ridge of the mountain is flat, slightly 822 species of wild vascular plants from 400 genera and inclined to the southeast, with an average altitude of 500- 83 families are described. In phytogeographical terms, the 600 m. The highest point of the mountain is called Otuka flora of the mountain includes 50 floristic elements. Of (608.7 m a.s.l.), and is located in its northwest part [1]. these, 2 species are Bulgarian endemics and 9 species are Balkan endemics. The relic species are 57 and are represented mainly by tertiary relicts. The species with conservation status are 41. The hemicryptophytes predominate among the life forms. Among the biological types with most species are perennial and annual herbaceous plants. The number of medicinal plants is significant: almost 50% of all established plants in the Mountain are medicinal plants. More than half of the plant species in the mountain are anthropophytes. The number of invasive species is 18. There are 10 new species found in the floristic region Northeastern Bulgaria, 2 of which are new species for Northern Bulgaria. Keywords: Dragoevska Mountain, flora, floristic analysis, vascular plants 1. Introduction Dragoevska Mountain is part of Eastern Forebalkan in Northeastern Bulgaria. It is located between Golyama Kamchiya River and the Brestova River. It is oriented to the northwest-southeast. Its length is about 32 km and its Fig. 1. Geographical position of Dragoevska Mountain, maximum width is 8 km. The area of the mountain is marked with yellow point in the eastern part of the Balkan 2 about 190 km . Dragoevska mountain’s boundaries are as Peninsula (at the bottom right is a map of Europe) follows: To the northwest, Golyama Kamchiya River separates it from Preslavska Mountain. To the northeast, Dragoevska Mountain is located in the Dragoevska Mountain borders on Smyadovsko pole and Transcontinental Climatic Area, a climatic region of the part of Golyama Kamchiya River and here, at its foot, is Dobrudzha Plateau. The mountain’s climate is impacted the provisional boundary between Eastern Danube Plain by the Ludogorsko Plateau and Dobrudzha Plateau, and Eastern Forebalkan. To the southwest, Dragoevska located to the north, the Eastern Stara Planina, located to Mountain borders on Gerlovska Valley, and to the south the south, as well as the Black Sea, located to the east. The on Rishka Valley. To the east, Lopushanska River (the predominant winds are western and northwestern; and in right tributary of Golyama Kamchiya River) and Ticha spring and summer the prevailing winds are eastern and Dam separated it from Varbishka Mountain. To the south, northeastern [2]. Dragoevska Mountain and Varbishka Mountain are According to Bulgaria’s soil-geographic zoning, connected through low saddle (390 m) in the west of Rish Dragoevska Mountain is located in the East Balkan soil village [1]. province, which is part of the Carpathian-Danube soil Near the northern slope is Dragoevo, the village area. The soils in the ountain are three types (according to that gave its name to the mountain. There are 2 small the FAO classification): leptosols (LP), luvisols (LV), and towns in the vicinity: Veliki Preslav and Smyadovo. There planosols (PL). The leptosols are of subtype umbric (LPu). are 4 other villages near the southern slope of the The luvisols in the mountain are two subtypes: haplic mountain: Veselinovo, Aleksandrovo, Rish, and (LVh) and albic (LVa). The planosols in the mountain are Tushovitsa. of subtype dystric (PLd) [3]. International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Applied Science (IJSEAS) – Volume-3, Issue-10, October 2017 ISSN: 2395-3470 www.ijseas.com From a botanical-geographic perspective, Dragoevska Mountain is located in the Illyrian province of 2. Materials and Methods the European broad-leaved forest area [4]. In floristic The present study was conducted on the route terms, the mountain is situated in the Northeastern method in the period 2011-2015. The following sources Bulgaria floristic region [5]. are used in the determination of the taxa and the life The vegetation of the mountain is represented by forms: Handbook for Plants in Bulgaria [10], Flora of the the following plant communities: Mizian beech (Fageta People's Republic of Bulgaria [11, 12], and Flora of the moesiacae) forests; Mixed Mizian beech (Fagus sylvatica Republic of Bulgaria [5, 13]. The names of the species are ssp. moesiaca (K.Maly) Hyelmq.) and ordinary hornbeam under Conspectus of the Bulgarian vascular flora [14]. The (Carpinus betulus L.) forests; Mixed Mizian beech (Fagus abbreviations of the authors’ names of the plants are sylvatica ssp. moesiaca (K.Maly) Hyelmq.), Oriental according to the International Plant Names Index [15]. hornbeam (Carpinus orientalis Mill.) and ordinary The names of the family are according to APG IV [16]. hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) forests; Mixed Mizian The life forms are represented in the system of beech (Fagus sylvatica ssp. moesiaca (K.Maly) Hyelmq.), Raunkiaer [17]. The biological types are defined by balkanic durmast (Quercus dalechampii Ten.), mountain Delipavlov et al. [10]. The floristic elements and the ashtree (Fraxinus excelsior L.), sycamore (Acer endemics are according to Asyov et al. [14]. The relics are pseudoplatanus L.), Hyrcanian maple (Acer hyrcanum presented according to Zahariev [18]. Fush. & Mey.), etc. forests; Hornbeam-balkanic durmast The conservation statute is recognized using the (Querceto-Carpineta betuli) forests; Balkanic durmast following documents: Annex II to Council Directive (Querceta dalechampii) forests; Mixed balkanic durmast 92/43/EEC of the European Community to protect natural (Quercus dalechampii Ten.), cerris oak (Quercus cerris habitats and of wild fauna and flora [19], Appendix I to Ten.) and Quercus frainetto Ten. forests; Mixed balkanic Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and durmast (Quercus dalechampii Ten.) and Oriental Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) [20], Appendix II to hornbeam (Carpinus orientalis Mill.) forests, partly of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species secondary origin; Mixed cerris oak (Quercus cerris Ten.) of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) [21], Red Data Book of and Oriental hornbeam (Carpinus orientalis Mill.) forests, the Republic of Bulgaria, Vol. 1. Plants and Fungi [22], partly also with flowering-ash (Fraxinus ornus L.); Forest Red List of Bulgarian vascular plants [23], Annex III and and shrubs of Oriental hornbeam (Carpinus orientalis Annex IV to Act on Amending and Supplementing the Mill.); Farm areas, replacing Mizian beech (Fagus Biological Diversity Act of the Republic of Bulgaria [24]. sylvatica ssp. moesiaca (K.Maly) Hyelmq.) and ordinary Recorded are the species included in Order for special hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.); Farm areas, replacing arrangements for the conservation and use of the balkanic durmast (Quercus dalechampii Ten.) forests; medicinal plants in Bulgaria [25]. Farm areas, replacing mixed cerris oak (Quercus cerris The medicinal plants are under the Annex to the Ten.) and Quercus frainetto Ten. Forests [6]. Medicinal Plants Act of the Republic of Bulgaria [26], There is no data for research on the Dragoevska Stoyanov [27, 28], Stoyanov and Kitanov [29], Petkov Mountain’s flora. In 1885, Josef Velenovsky conducted [30], Pamukov and Ahtardzhiev [31], Landzhev [32], botanical research in Northern Bulgaria [7]. The closest Nikolov [33]. The anthropophytes are presented by point of its route is Shumen. There is no evidence that he Stefanov and Kitanov [34]. The Invasive alien plant visited the area of Dragoevska Mountain. Velenowsky’s species are by Petrova et al. [35]. project, however, was not to describe the flora of individual geographic objects, but on the entire territory of 3. Results and Discussion Bulgaria. To date, the floristic studies in the region As a result of our study, 822 species of wild describe the flora of Bulgaria and present the results vascular plants belonging to 400 genera and 83 families according to administrative units [8]. were described. This represents 20.04% from all species, On the Dragoevska Mountain’s territory are located 43.81% from all genera and 59.71% from all plant two protected areas and two protected zones of the Natura families in Bulgaria. The described species represent 2000 ecological network. The protected areas are Patleyna 36.30% of the vascular plants distributed in the range 0- Managed Nature Reserve and Div Rozhkov Protected Site. 500 m a.s.l. according to Peev et al. [36]. Systematic list of The protected zones are Ticha (with code BG0000178) identified species is represented in Appendix. and Ekocoridor Kamchiya-Emine (with code BG0000393) The taxonomic structure of the flora is as follows: [9]. The Division Lycopodiophyta includes 1 family, 1 genus, The goal of our study is to inventorize the flora of and 1 species. The Division Equisetophyta is represented Dragoevska mountain and to conduct floristic analysis of by 1 family, 1 genus, and 3 species. The Division the data obtained. Polypodiophyta consists of 4 families, 4 genera, and 6 International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Applied Science (IJSEAS) – Volume-3, Issue-10, October 2017 ISSN: 2395-3470 www.ijseas.com species. The Division Magnoliophyta includes the most Polygonaceae <5 16 taxa: 77 families, 394 genera and 812 species. The Primulaceae <5 5 distribution of taxa is as follows: Class Magnoliopsida Ranunculaceae 9 18 includes 62 families, 312 genera, and 657 species; Class Rosaceae 14 41 Liliopsida includes 15 families, 82 genera, and 155 Rubiaceae <5 12 species. Salicaceae <5 8 Most families and genera are represented with Sapindaceae <5 6 smaller number of lower taxa: from 1 to 4.