''Asperula hercegovina'', commonly known as the Hercegovinian woodruff (in Bosnian, ''hercegovačka lazarkinja''), is a herb endemic to Bosnia & Herzegovina of the

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules a ...

family.

Description

This species is a perennial herb. It tends to reach about 10–20 cm tall and can be smooth or hairy. Its leaves occur in apparent

whorls A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...

, with a rough length of 13–25 cm and a width of about 1.5–2 (rarely 3) mm wide. Leaves are linear lancet, smooth or hairy, with rough edges and are longer than internodia. They have 6–12 involucral ballots that are 4–5 mm long and 2–4 mm wide. The shape of their

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular ...

is egg-shaped or oval. It blooms in July and August. Flowers are in pseudoumbellated

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

s, which are composed of 25–30 flowers. The crown is in four-parts, with length of 3–5 mm; it is white to pink. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

has a funnel-shaped corolla with clearly developed, 3–4 mm long tube and a circumference is divided into 4 lobules 1.5–2.5 mm in length. The laps of these flower cups are poorly developed. The stigma is a two-part and more than crowns. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is about 1.5 mm long and hairless. One variety of this species is described: ''A. hercegovina''. var. ''Prodani Degen'', whose members are mostly hairy:

stalking Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The term ...

, leaves,

bracts In botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the An ...

and crown.

Distribution and habitat

The most common

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

for these plants are cracked

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

rocks In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...

, at an altitude of about 1,500 m, but more frequently from 1,700 to 2,000 and up to 2,100 m. This plant species is endemic to the Central

Dinaric Alps The Dinaric Alps (), also Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern and Southcentral Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herz ...

of Bosnia & Herzegovina, being found in mountains of both Bosnia (

Bjelašnica Bjelašnica ( sr-cyrl, Бјелашница, ) is a mountain in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is to the southwest of Sarajevo, bordering Mount Igman. Bjelašnica's tallest peak, by which the mountain group got its name, rises to an elevatio ...

, Hranisava and Vlahinja) and Herzegovina ( Čabulja,

Čvrsnica Čvrsnica ( sr-cyrl, Чврсница, ) is a mountain in the Dinarides of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in northern Herzegovina. Most of the mountain is located in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton municipalities of Mostar and Jablanica, while t ...

, Velež,

Prenj Prenj ( sr-cyrl, Прењ) is a mountain range in the Dinaric Alps of southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in eastern Herzegovina near Mostar, Jablanica and Konjic. The highest peak is ''Zelena glava'' at . Prenj massif has at least 11 peaks ...

and Plasa). It has also been found in Mt Durmitor,

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

, making it the first observation of ''Asperula hercegovina'' outside of Bosnia & Herzegovina.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15401043

hercegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia. It has never had strictly defined geograp ...

Flora of Bosnia and Herzegovina Flora of Europe