The orchids (Orchidaceae) of Krka National Park
During 2022, Dr. Milenko Milović conducted research on the orchids in the Park area
Orchids (Orchidaceae) are perennial herbaceous plants called geophytes, usually with two underground corms from which the upright shoots grow. The flowers have both male and female organs, and vary in colour. The fruit is called a capsule containing many tiny seeds. The great morphological similarity and lack of a simple key for determination make it difficult to recognise the different orchid species, especially those in the Ophrys family, and so their ecology, taxonomy and distribution are not well known.
This research was conducted during spring and autumn 2022 with the aim of determining the abundance and state of orchids in Krka National Park. Though there have been several sporadic studies in the past, the first certain data about the Park’s orchids date from the 1990s, when only three taxa were recorded. Further research revealed the presence of new species and according to the most recent research (Vuković et al. 2017) resulted in a list of 28 taxa in the Park.
Based on the collected data and field survey, a report was drafted giving a complete list of species, with photo documentation. The coordinates of all sites and species descriptions were given, with special emphasis on endemic species that have been categorised in one of the threat categories according to the Red Book of Vascular Plants of the Republic of Croatia (Nikolić & Topić 2005; Nikolić 2020b). The research was challenging due to the drought. Populations were small and, in some habitats where orchids were previously recorded, they did not grow in the spring.
In all, 26 orchid taxa were recorded, of which three were recorded in the Park boundaries for the first time: Ophrys rhodostephane, green-veined orchid (Orchis morio ssp. morio) and pink butterfly orchid (O. papilionacea). Just 100 metres outside the Park boundaries the man orchid (Aceras anthropophorum) was found, and therefore it is very likely that it also grows inside the Park boundaries, which future research will aim to confirm. The giant orchid (Barlia robertiana), which was previously recorded in the Park area though without precise locations and coordinates, has not been confirmed and included in the list.
The new taxa found during the research have enriched the diverse orchid flora of Krka National Park, which now included 32 taxa. According to the Ordinance and the Nature Protection Act, all orchids have the status of strictly protected species (Anonymous 2016).
Research
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