ASTRAGALUS PSEUDOPURPUREUS GUŞUL. IN ROMANIA'S VEGETATION

Abstract

Astragalus pseudopurpureus was described as a new species for science by the botanist Mihail Guşuleac, from Bicaz and Şugău Gorges. It is a very rare and endangered plant species in Romania, being endemic for Eastern Carpathians (it is a Dacian floristic element). From phytosociological point of view, this species has been previously attributed, by various authors, to class Elyno-Seslerietea or to alliance Seslerion bielzii. It is made a proposal of a new syntaxon in this paper, namely: subassociation astragaletosum pseudopurpurei subass. nova, subordinate to the association Thymetum comosi Pop et Hodişan 1963. This new subassociation is described from Şugău Gorges (Neamţ county, Romania). This new syntaxon is framed, as follow: Class Thlaspietea rotundifolii Br.-Bl. 1926 Order Thlaspietalia rotundifolii Br.-Bl. 1926 Alliance Achnatherion calamagrostis Br.-Bl. 1918 Asociation Thymetum comosi Pop et Hodişan 1963 – subassociation astragaletosum pseudopurpurei subass. nova The differential species for this subassociation, Astragalus pseudopurpureus, together with all the other species, edify phytocoenoses with soil coverages between 30% and 50%, having a stabilizing role of limestone screes.

Keywords

• Astragalus pseudopurpureus
• Eastern Carpathians
• endemic
• new syntaxon
• Şugău Gorges
• Romania