Floristical Investigation of “Yazovir Konush” NATURA 2000 Site (BG0002015), Southern Bulgaria

“Yazovir Konush” NATURA 2000 site (BG0002015) is situated near Konush village, Plovdiv district and occupies an area of 0.376 ha. It was established for protection of the habitats of bird species, included in Biological Diversity Act and Bird Directive as a part of NATURA 2000 network of Bulgaria. Vascular plant diversity was investigated during 2012-2014 field working seasons using transect and semi-stationary sampling methods. All species were categorized by biological groups, life forms and floristic elements. The plants were classified by ecological groups according to their preference to water, light and heat conditions. A total of 172 vascular plants were identified. They belong to 50 families and 133 genera. One hundred and three species are medicinal plants, which comprise more than 59.8% of the total flora of the study area. The richest families are Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Poaceae, Brassicaceae and Rosaceae. Among the richest genera are Vicia, Carex, Veronica, Rumex, Lathyrus, Trifolium and Potentilla, which comprise more than 14.5% of the total flora of the study area. Only 2 species in the floristical composition with conservation status were identified (Cephalanthera damasonium and C. rubra). The ecological analysis showed that the flora of the investigated area is dominated by hemicriptophytes (41.3%), followed by terophytes (26.7%). Mesophyte and heliophyte species are predominant, whereas Euro-Asiatic and Euro- Mediterranean floristic elements are the most widely distributed floristic elements in the study area.