Euphorbia-illirica_2

Description:

Euphorbia illirica Lam., syn.: Euphorbia villosa Waldst. & Kit. ex Willd., Euphorbia pilosa var. illirica (Lam.) Nyman Family: EuphorbiaceaeHairy Spurge, DE: Wollige Wolfsmilch, Zottige WolfsmilchSlo.: dlakavi mleekDat.: May 11. 2012Lat.: 45.79845 Long.: 14.53422Code: Bot_616/2012_IMG9313Habitat: damp grassland near mixed wood edge, flat terrain, open, mostly sunny place; elevation 755 m (2.500 feet); average precipitations 1.500 - 1.600 mm/year, average temperature 8-9 deg C, Dinaric phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil.Place: Bloke flats, north of the road from settlement Zakraj to village Velike Bloke, Notranjska, Slovenia EC.Comment: Genus spurge (Euphorbia) is the second largest in the kingdom of flowering plants. Its species are growing all over the world. More than 2.000 species are described, about 100 are growing in Europe and about 40 in Slovenia. They are extremely diverse, from tiny annual herbs to large trees. Many are very beautiful, of fantastic colors and bizarre shapes. Their flowers are something special and much differently structured than of 'common' flowers. They all extract mildly poisonous, milky, white latex when damaged. This makes them easy to recognize.Euphorbia illirica is a Eurasians floral element (Ref.: 5). It grows in damp meadows, along river banks, open woods and among tall herbs from lowlands to subalpine elevations (Ref.: 6). One can find it from Spain in the west to the Caucasus in the east. In the Alps it is known only from their extreme northeast part and from a few places in their southwest part (Ref: 5). In Slovenia and neighboring countries Austria, Italy and Croatia it is a rare, endangered and protected plant. Although it is widely distributed, it is very sparsely scattered. In spite of its conspicuous and tall (up to 1 m) appearance, it is seldom encountered.The name Euphorbia illirica became valid current name only recently. It has been generally known as Euphorbia villosa for more than 100 years. Many authors, if not majority, still use the old name (more on history of these names see Ref.: 2). Protected according to: Uredba o zavarovanih prostoiveih rastlinskih vrstah, poglavje A, Uradni list RS, t. 46/2004 (Regulation of protected wild plants, chapter A, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 46/2004), (2004). Pravilnik o uvrstitvi ogroenih rastlinskih in ivalskih vrst v rdei seznam, Uradni list RS, t. 82/2002 (Regulation of enlisting of endangered plant and animal species onto Red List, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 82/2002) (2002). Enlisted in the Slovene Red List of rare and endangered species, marked by "V" representing a vulnerable species.Ref.:(1) Personal communication with Mr. Branko Dolinar, www.orhideje.si(2) B. Frajman, Proposal to reject the name Euphorbia illirica (Euphorbiaceae) Taxon 63; 4, (2014), p 943.(3) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 458.(4) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 372. (5) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 998.(6) B. Frajman, Revision of the Genus Euphorbia in Slovenia, Graduation Thesis, University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty (2001); ( www.digitalna-knjiznica.bf.uni-lj.si/dn_frajman_bozo.pdf (accessed March 16. 2019)