A supplement to the knowledge of the flora of Sirinićka Župa at the bottom of the Šara Mountains

Abstract

The intensive preliminary floristic studies, carried out between March and August, 2015, yielded the herbaric material consisting of 261 taxa collected at the bottom of the northern slopes of the Šara mountain massif, in the region of Sirinićka Župa. The analysis of the gathered material detected two species, interesting particularly in the flora of the Šara Mountains. Epipactis palustris (L.) Crantz (Orchidaceae), is a rare species of the swamp orchid, legally protected in the flora of Serbia, and even rarer in the Šara Mountains flora. The village of Sevce can be found in the vicinity of Dragaš and Rastelica, towards little Borce, on the slopes of Ostrovica. The newly-found locality on the left bank of the Lepenac river, is also a new locality of this species, which is uncommon not only in Sirinićka Župa, but also in the flora of the Šara Mountains and Serbia. Carex ventricosa Curtis (syn. Carex depauperata With.) (Cyperaceae) belongs to the group of forest narrow-leaved ash, which is a new species in the flora on the Šara Mountains, and most probably a new species in the flora of Kosovo and Metohija, as a new, reliable locality for the flora of Serbia.Due to the highly appealing looks of the Šara Mountain peaks of Ljuboten, Ošljak and Ostrovica, the bottom of these mountains is still floristically unrecognized. Therefore, we consider that the already commenced researches should be expanded to the whole region of Sirinicka Zupa so as to gain a more comprehensive picture of all flora of the Sara Mountains starting from the foot of the mountain up to the highest peaks.