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about the number of endemics growing in such areas. A primary floristic analysis is

indispensable in order to prove the origin and specificity of this flora on a given territory

and its relation to similar floras in other parts o f the Balkan Peninsula.

The interest in the serpentine flora in Bulgaria is provoked also by the fact that the

serpentine rocks are of rather ancient origin (Кож ухарова, 1984

a, 6

; 1985) and as a

consequence the metamorphic processes have resulted in a greater variety of their

chemical nature and hence on the flora and vegetation.

Until now, the serpentines in the southwestern part of the country have not been

investigated. The flora and vegetation of Vlahina Mountain was sporadically studied

focused mainly on new floristic finds. Китанов и др. (1987) reported new chorological

data for 80 plants growing in the Western Frontier Mountains (Vlaliina, Maleshevska,

Ograzden).

The present paper is part of a research project aimed at the investigation o f the

serpentine flora in the mountains of southwestern Bulgaria

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The site of investigation is the serpentine body in the area of Stara Zeleznitsa

village, Blagoevgrad district. It is located in the foothills of Vlahina Mountain, the peak

Murdzova chuka. The serpentines are included in a pre-Cambrian crystalline complex

with an area of 150 dka. The average steepness o f the eastern slopes is 8-13 °C while the

displacement is between 700 and 750 m a.s.l. The main mountain slope is east-orientated

and the serpentine ridge is included in a secondary ridge with an south-eastern exposure

(Мишев идр., 1989).

The climate of Vlahina Mountain is transitional between continental and

submediterranean, characterized by an increase of precipitation in autumn-winter. The

mean annual temperature is 9 °C (Мишев и др., 1989).

According to the geobotanical division of Bulgaria (Б он д ев , 2002) the study area

falls between the Balkan Province (Vlahina region) and Macedonian-Thracian Province

(Blagoevgrad region). The serpentine terrains are included in the oak xerothermic

vegetation belt (Велчев и др., 1982), The modem vegetation is characterized by the

prevailance of oak forests

(Quercus daleshampii

) mixed with

Q. virgiliana

and

fminetto.

These forests are heavily destructed at many places and replaced by secondary

in origin coppice woods, shrubs and herb vegetation.

The vegetation of Blagoevgrad region is characterized by remnants of oak forests

composed of

Quercus pubeseens

and

O, virgiliana,

more rarely o f

0. frainetto

and

Carpinus orientalis,

shrubs of

Junipenis oxveedrus

and

Palitints spina-chrisii.

In the

northern parts are found xerothermic plant communities composed of

Chrysopogon

grvllus, Dischantium isebaemum

Poa bulbosa

, etc.

The serpentine body is located at the boundary between the floristic regions West

Frontier Mountains and Struma valley. This is a prerequisite for the appearance of

elements characteristic for both floristics regions. In this case the chorological

information is presented for both regions.

The transects are related to quadrant FM-74 from the UTM grid map of Bulgaria

(scale 1:1 500 000, Fig. 1).

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