''Papaver degenii'', the Pirin poppy (), is a
poppy
A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, '' Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug ...
endemic to the
Pirin Mountains of south-western
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
where it is found at altitudes from 2,100 to 2,900 m.
It is included in the
Red Book of Bulgaria as vulnerable species.
It is considered by some authors to be conspecific with the Alpine poppy (''
Papaver alpinum'').
The Pirin poppy is a
perennial
In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...
herbaceous plant. The
stems is 5 to 15 cm long. The leaves are skewered, swallowed, their portions are ovoid. There are four 13–15 mm long petals coloured from bright yellow to orange. The stamens are numerous with yellow anthers. It blooms from July to August. It is distinguished from the other species of poppy in Bulgaria by the basal leaves and the colour of the petals.
This poppy is very rare and is found in low numbers; there could be as few as a few dozen individuals on 100 m
2 It is found on limestone rocks on the slopes of Pirin's highest summit
Vihren (2,914 m), the knife-edge ridge
Koncheto that links the peaks
Kutelo (2,908 m) and
Banski Suhodol (2,884 m),
Golemiya Kazan cirque and the surrounding summits. There areas are protected within the
Pirin National Park and the
Bayuvi Dupki–Dzhindzhiritsa nature reserve.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q12290715
degenii
Endemic flora of Bulgaria
Pirin
Plants described in 1970