09 October 2020
09.10.2020 - Officials of the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency, namely Xhavit Mala from the Sharri National Park Directorate, and Qenan Maxhuni from the Kosovo Institute for Nature Protection, have recently published a scientific article entitled “Sternbergia colchiciflora Waldst. et Kit. (Amaryllidaceae), a new genus and species in the flora of Kosovo - Sternbergia colchiciflora Waldst. et Kit. (Amaryllidaceae), a new genus and species in the flora of Kosovo.” The article was published in the prestigious journal in the field of botany – Acta Botanica Croatica, which is also cited on the SCOPUS platform.
The abstract of the paper states, among other things, that “This report discusses Sternbergia colchiciflora Waldst. et Kit. as a new genus and species for the flora of Kosovo. Almost 30 mature individuals of this species were recorded for the first time in southwestern Kosovo in 2015, at the site of the White Drin Canyon near the Fshajt Bridge. Considering the low number of individuals and the very limited distribution, this species should be treated as critically endangered in Kosovo.”
Sternbergia colchiciflora is a species on the Red List of endangered, vulnerable, and near-threatened species in many European countries (Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Romania, Hungary, etc.). In the Caucasus region, it has the status of a critically endangered taxon in the Red List of endemic plants. This species is also listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The determination of the species' level of threat has been made based on the IUCN criteria. The full article can be found at the link https://hrcak.srce.hr/240910