Zuvanda meyeri: Red Data Book of Armenia

EN B 1 ab(iii) + 2 ab(iii)

Category. Endangered species. Endemic of the Caucasus. It is found only in the very south of Armenia. The extent of occurrence and the area of occupancy are less than 500 km2. The species faces decline of the extent of occurrence and the area of occupancy caused by the expansion of settlements and development of mining industry. It was not included in the first edition of the Red Data Book of Armenia. It is not included in the Annexes of CITES and that of the Bern Convention.

Description. Annual plant 10–25 cm, glabrous or slightly pubescent, covered with small excrescences. Stems thin, unbranched. Cauline leaves oblong–ovate, smooth–edged, amplexicaul, auriculate. Inflorescence elongate. Flowers bright pink. Siliqua tetragonous, longitudinally sulcate, shiny, 4 cm long; seeds in 1 row.

Distribution. In Armenia it grows only in Meghri (Meghri, Agarak, Gudemnis, Karchevan, Shvanidzor, Nyuvadi) floristic region. EOO is 260 km2, AOO is 28 km2. The number of locations is 3. The general area of distribution includes Nakhichevan, East Transcaucasia and Talish.

Ecological, biological and phytocoenological peculiarities. Grows in lower and middle mountain belts, at the altitudes of 800–1500 meters above sea level, on stony and clay slopes. Flowering from April to May, fruiting in May.

Limiting factors. Loss/degradation of habitats caused by the expansion of settlements and development of mining industry.

Conservation actions. No conservation actions. Necessary: establishment of new specially protected nature area in the surroundings of Agarak, monitoring of the population state.