Amberboa moschata: Red Data Book of Armenia

EN B 1 ab(i,ii,iii) + 2 ab(i,ii,iii)

Category. Endangered species. The species occurs in one floristic region, where it grows very abundant though the area of distribution is rather restricted. The extent of occurrence is less than 5000 km2, the area of occupancy is less than 500 km2. It was included in the first edition of the Red Data Book of Armenia under Category 3: Reducing species. It is not included in the Annexes of CITES and that of the Bern Convention.

Description. Annual plants. Stems 20–70 cm, erect, branched. Leaves from entire to dentate, pinnatipartite or pinnatisect. Capitula terminal, large, broadly ovate or hemispherical, on long, crisped–pilose pedicels. Involucre crisped–lanose. All flowers pink or purplish–pink; marginal ones infundibular, larger than central ones. Achenes big, 6–7 mm long. Pappus 5–7 mm long.

Distribution. In Armenia it grows in Yerevan (surroundings of Yerevan) floristic region. EOO is 560 km2, AOO is 100 km2. The number of locations is 3. Beyond the borders of Armenia the species grows in Nakhichevan and North–East Anatolia.

Ecological, biological and phytocoenological peculiarities. Grows in lower and middle mountain belts, at the altitudes of 600–1500 meters above sea level, on dry stony and clay places, in semi–desert, in the fields. Flowering in May, fruiting in June.

Limiting factors. Restricted extent of occurrence and area of occupancy, loss/degradation of habitats caused by land development.

Conservation actions. Part of the population grows in "Erebuni" State Reserve. Necessary: monitoring of the population state.