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Centaurea stenolepis A. Kerner ssp. bansagensis (J. Wagner) Soo
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The endemic subspecies bansagensis is a mesic - mesoxeric grassland species while the typical species is a Central European element located especially in the glades of the nemoral forests. The name of the subspecies 'bansagensis' was given after the Hungarian name of the Banat region - Bansag. The individuals from Banat are clearly another subspecies, with a clear arahnoid indumentum and reddish brown appendages of the involucral bracts, while the individuals from Transylvania and the whole Central Europe have a very sparse arachnoid indumentum which becomes caducous very soon after flowering and brown-yellowish appendages. The typical species stenolepis seems to be frequent in Romania only in the Zarand Mountains, Lipova Tableland and much rare in Transylvania. It is a mesic taxon from the forests' clearings and mesic-mesoxeric grasslands. The subspecies bansagensis is endemic for Banat / Oltenia Mountains. Its presence in Transylvania, as stated by the Romanian recent literature, is doubtful and was produced because of the confusions with the typical species. The confusion was favored by the inability to appreciate the level of indumentum and the real color of the appendages. However a comparison between the pictures of ssp. bansagensis below and the typical species should ensure that no confusions will be produced in the future - the contrasts between the two taxa are very clear. Ravensca (Rovensko), Almaj Mountains, Caras-Severin county, July 2009 (from BioLib site, with the kind permission of the author). dr. Michael Kesl kesl.m@volny.cz
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