Asparagus litoralis Steven, 1857

Asparagus litoralis imageSynonyms: Asparagus misczenkoi Iljin; Asparagus neglectus Kar et Kir; Asparagus monoclados Vved.; Asparagus ferganensis Vved

Common names: Engl: Coastal asparagus; Bulg: Asperja; Russ: Sparzha pribrezhnaya; Turk: Kiyi asparagusu; Ukr: Kholodok pryberezhny

Order: ASPARAGALES

Family: ASPARAGACEAE

Taxonomic descriptions: It is a perennial grass 30-50 cm in height. The plant is dioecious. Cladodes are thick (0.3-0.7 mm in diameter), bare, furrowed, near 1.0-1.5 cm lengthwise, in a high degree fan-like diverging from stem, in bundles of 4-10 ones. Flowers are located in the top of the floriferous stems and branches. The berry is red, near 7-8 mm in diameter.

Asparagus litoralis arealIUCN Status:
    World level: NE
    Black Sea Regional level: VU
    Subregion level: VU in Ukraine

Distribution:

Habitats type, Critical habitats, Limiting factors: The plant prefer littoral strip, sands, cockle-shells, shingle and rocks. Critical habitats: Crimean coastline, in particular, Sudak, Shchebetovka, Maly Mayak, Ayudag mountain. Limiting factors: endemism, limited distribution and small population size; storm destructive action and phytophagans feeding.

Biology: Flowering - in May-June, fruit-bearing - in July-August. Reproduction - by seeds and vegetatively.

Population trends: Population is not numerous, it has a tendency to decline.

Threats: Picking for bunches decoration; habitat destruction because of the creation of artificial beaches.

Conservation measures taken: The species has been entered in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.

Conservation measures proposed: Revealing of species locations, population monitoring, organization of reservations in the Crimea (in Kerch and Tarkhankut peninsula areas). Can be cultivated as an edible plant.

References:

  1. Rubtsov, N.I. (ed.), 1972. Opredelitel' vysshikh rasteniy Kryma. (Identification Book of the Crimean Higher Plants). Leningrad: Nauka, 550 pp., (in Russian).
  2. Luks, Y.A., Privalova, L.A., and Kryukova, I.V., 1976. Katalog redkikh, ischezayushchikh i unichtozhaemykh rasteniy flory Kryma, rekomenduyemykh dlya zapovednoy okhrany. (Catalogue of Rare, Disappearing and Exterminative Crimean Flora Plants Recommended for Protection). Yalta: GNBS, 24 pp., (in Russian).
  3. Kryukova , I.V., Luks, Yu.A., Privalova, L.A., et al., 1988. Redkiye rasteniya i zhivotnyye Kryma. (Rare Plants and Animals of the Crimea). Simferopol: Tavria, 176 pp., (in Russian).
  4. Novosad, V.V., 1992. Flora Kerchensko-Tamanskogo Regiona. (The Flora of the Kerch-Taman Region). Kiev: Naukova Dumka, 277 pp., (in Russian).
  5. Golubev, V.N., 1996. Biologicheskaya flora Kryma. (Biological Flora of the Crimea). Yalta: GNBS, 86 pp., (in Russian).
  6. Shelyag-Sosonko, Yu.R. (ed.), 1996. Chervona Knyga Ukrayiny. (The Red Data Book of Ukraine). Kyiv: Ukrayins'ka Entzyklopediya, 608 pp., (in Ukrainian).

Compiled by: L. Vakhrusheva