Distribution of the species
It loves rocky sites, where one can see it in mountainous areas. It has been recorded in various places, at altitudes above 1,200 m asl., in subalpine grasslands, rocky slopes and openings of beech forests.
Description of the species (biological and ecological features)
It is a perennial, mat-forming (on the ground) plant, slightly woody in its lower part. The leaves are very small, usually elliptical, with stipules at its nodes (two on each node), which are membranous and lanceolate. Its flowers are small (less than 3.5 mm!), almost hidden within the – twice in length – silvery and almost transparent bracts. It was described in 1968 and was dedicated to Karl Heinz Rechinger, who recorded it for the first time in 1936, on Mount Orvilos (Prefecture of Serres). It is found in stony places in subalpine and alpine grasslands, always on limestone. As very few plants can withstand the ecological conditions of the sites it prefers, it completes its life cycle without particular competition. It is in flower from the end of June until August.
Although its distribution area on Mount Paggaio is rather restricted, it is not threatened by anthropogenic or other factors.
Conservation status
Presidential Degree 67/81 (F.E.K. 23/Α/30-01-1981) “On the protection of native flora and fauna and defining a procedure for coordinating and controlling their research”
Conservation state
It is listed among the plant species of the Presidential Degree 67/81 (F.E.K. 23/Α/30-01-1981) “On the protection of native flora and fauna and defining a procedure for coordinating and controlling their research”. Moreover, it is listed as “Other Important Plant Species of Greece” by the 92/43/EEC Directive. Despite its small population size, which is associated to the area of its suitable micro-sites, it is not considered as threatened.