Cytisus agnipilus Velen.

Taxonomy: Fam. Fabaceae// Genus: Cytisus// Species: Cytisus agnipilus Velen.

Detrmined according to the botanical keys provided by Micevski (2001) and Frodin and Heywood (1968 in Tutin et al.).

The population recorded in Osogovo differs from the typical form in having larger and more robust habit, longer inflorescence (raceme) and different indumentum color. The plants reach 30 to 55 cm height and up to 90-95 cm spread, compared to 10-20 (30) cm for literature data. The flowers are arranged in rather long and dense racemes (5 to 18 cm long). The indumentum is whitish/light greyish-white instead of typical cream color. For this traits the plants from Osogovo show some similarity to Cytisus rectipilosus Adam., which has larger habit, longer racemes and whitish indumentum. However, C. rectipilosus has other distinctive traits, such as different indumentum type and larger flowers, not found in the Osogovo plants.

The taxonomic position of Cytisus rectipilosus Adam. is not fully resolved. According to Micevski (2001) both C. rectipilosus Adam. and C. agnipilus Velen. occur in North Macedonia and are considered separate species. Diklić (1972 in Josifović) accepts C. rectipilosus as a variant of C. decumbens. In the Cytisus treatment in Flora Europea, Frodin and Heywood (1968 in Tutin et al.) accept C. agnipilus but make no mention of C. rectipilosus. In The Euro+Med PlantBase, the Plants of the World Online portal (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) and GBIF, C. rectipilosus is considered as a synonym of Cytisus agnipilus Velen.

The characteristics of the Osogovo population compared to literature data is shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Cytisus agnipilus from Osogovo compared to literature data for Cytisus agnipilus and Cytisus rectipilosus.

	Cytisus agnipilus Osogovo	Cytisus agnipilus literature data	Cytisus rectipilosus literature data
Plant height	(25) 30-55 cm	10-20 (30) cm	(10)15-30 (40) cm
Spread	up to 90-95 cm in diameter	/	/
Indumentum color	Light grayish-white	Cream	White
Stem indumentum	Dense, short crispate hairs and longer, patent curved hairs	Dense, short crispate hairs and longer, patent curved hairs	Appressed or semi-erect straight hairs
Leaf indumentum	Dense, patent, long curved hairs of both sides	Dense, patent, long curved or crispate hairs of both sides	Appressed straight hairs on both sides (rarely semierect, or adaxial side with patent and abaxial side with semierect hairs)
Calyx indumentum	Dense, patent, curved hairs	Dense patent hairs	Base with patent hairs, the rest of the calyx with semierect hairs
Pod indumentum	Lanate, with dense patent hairs	Lanate, with dense patent hairs	Dense, appressed silky hairs or semierect straight hairs
Leaves	c. 12 mm on vegetative stems, 4-7 mm on flowering stems	(5)10-12(15) mm on vegetative stems, smaller on flowering stems	10 (15) mm
Inflorescence	Long multilateral racemes (5 to 18 cm), the flowers are pointing in different directions	Flowers arranged in racemes	Long secund racemes, the flowers are pointing in one direction
Calyx	5 mm long, with patent crispate hairs	5 mm	3-4 mm
Standard	10-11 mm long x 10 -11 mm wide, with 1.5 -2 mm claw	(8) 10 -11 mm long, rounded with 2 mm claw	12 mm long x 10 mm wide, with 1 mm claw
Wings	10 mm long with 2 mm claw	11 mm long with 2 mm claw	12 mm long with 2 mm claw
Keel	9 mm	shorter than wings	11 mm
Pod	c. 20 mm	20-32 mm	20-25mm

Lifeform: Chamaephyte according to the Raunkiær system.

Distribution: Balkan Peninsula according to the Euro+Med PlantBase and the Plants of the World Online portal (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew). Balkan endemic.

Habitat:  Rocky terrains and sparse shrubland with Juniperus oxycedrus and other members of the Querco-carpineto orientalis ass.

While this species is noted for being calcicole (Micevski, 2001), in the Osogovo region it occurs on silicate rocks.

Flowering period: Spring: MAR, APR, MAY.

Locality: Kochani: hilly region between Kochani and the village of Pripor, above the east side of the gorge of the Kochanska river. Date: 11.04.2026.

Scaled images. Locality: Kochani: hilly region between Kochani and the village of Pripor, above the east side of the gorge of the Kochanska river. Date: 11.04.2026.

Locality: Kochani: near village of Pripor. Date: 01.05.2026.

Scaled images and close-ups. Specimens from Locality: Kochani: near village of Pripor. Date: 01.05.2026.

Locality: Kochani: near village of Pripor. Date: .03.2024.

Locality: Kochani: hilly region between Kochani and the village of Pripor, above the east side of the gorge of the Kochanska river. Date: 11.04.2021.

References:

Cytisus agnipilus Velen. Plants of the World Online portal, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:489605-1 [Accessed 26.07.2026].

Cytisus agnipilus. Euro+Med PlantBase – the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Published at https://europlusmed.org/. https://europlusmed.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/a54de3ca-d62e-45d3-8eb7-698ca9894045 [Accessed 26.07.2026].

Cytisus agnipilus Velen. https://www.gbif.org/species/5354617 [Accessed 13.04.2021].

Cytisus rectipilosus Adamovic. Plants of the World Online portal, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:489945-1 [Accessed 13.04.2021].

Diklić, N. 1972. Rod Cytisus L. In Josifović, M. (ed.), Flora SR Srbije, III. Beograd: Srpska Akademija Nauka i Umetnosti, pp. 491–496.

Micevski, K. 2001. Cytisus L., The Flora of the Republic of Macedonia. Vol. I, Book 5. Skopje: Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, pp. 1127–1132.

Frodin, D. G. & Heywood, V. H. 1968. Cytisus L. Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A. (eds). Flora Europaea. Volume 2. Rosaceae to Umbelliferae. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 86–90.

Last update: 26.07.2026.