Taxonomy: Fam. Campanulaceae// Genus: Jasione// Species: Jasione jankae Neilr.
Determined according to the distinguishing traits between Jasione heldreichii Boiss. & Orph. and Jasione jankae Neilr. provided by Ciocârlan (2006). The status of J. jankae as a separate species and its relation to J. heldreichii is a subject to debate. In Flora Europea (Tutin in Tutin et al., 1976) J. jankae was included within J. heldreichii; in Flora of Serbia (Obradović in Josifović, 1974) both J. heldreichii and J. jankae are considered synonyms of J. dentata (DC.) Hal. In Flora of Romania, J. jankae is also considered a synonym of J. heldreichii, while Ciocârlan (2006) considers it a separate species. In Plants of the World Online portal (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) J. jankae is considered a synonym of J. heldreichii while The Euro+Med Plantbase (Castroviejo et al., 2010+) considered it as a separate species. According to Serrano, Dimitrova and Ortiz (2023), J. jankae is best regarded as morpho-ecological variation of populations within the J. heldreichii complex occuring at higher altitudes and northern latitudes.
Osogovo nature follows the Euro+Med Plantbase treatment.
Both forms occur in the Osogovo region. Distinction between forms:
J. hedreichii sensu stricto: Annual or biennial plants without sterile rosettes, more robust and taller compared to J. jankae. Stem and leaves hairy. Inflorescence dense, flowers numerous; bracts of the inflorescence narrower, with longer pectinate teeth and aristate tip. Corolla always blue. Widespread in the lower parts of the mountain, found up to c. 800-900 m altitude, but mainly in the sub-Mediterranean belt. Inhabits river gorges, rocky terrains, clearings of oak forests, hill pastures.
J. jankae: Perennating form with sterile rosettes, usually glabrescent. Plants shorter, more slender. Flowering heads sparse, with lower number of flowers per capitula. Involucral bracts with teeth less than half the width of the bracts and the tip is not aristate. Corolla usually blue, but pink coloration also sporadically occurs. Found in the higher parts of the mountain – mountain pastures, rocky terrains, edges and clearings of European beech forests. Populations with typical traits of this form were recorded at c. 1450 to 1600 m altitude in Ponikva.
Intermediate forms were recorded at c. 1100 m altitude (Preseka region).
Lifeform: Perennial – hemicryptophyte according to the Raunkiær system.
Distribution: Native to the Southeast Europe according to the distribution information provided by The Euro+Med Plantbase (Castroviejo et al., 2010+).
Habitat: Mountain pastures, rocky terrains, edges and clearings of European beech forests.
Flowering period: Summer: JUL, AUG.
References:
Ciocârlan, V. (2006). Is Jasione heldreichii Boiss. et Orph. synonym to J. Jankae Neilr.?Buletinul Grădinii Botanice 13, pp. 43-46. https://botanica.uaic.ro/docs/Buletin2006.pdf [Accessed 08.08.2025].
Jasione heldreichii Boiss. & Orph. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:142661-1 [Accessed 08.08.2022].
Jasione jankae. Castroviejo, S., Aldasoro, J. J. & Alarcón, M.; with contributions from Hand, R. (2010+): Campanulaceae. – In: Euro+Med Plantbase – the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Published at https://europlusmed.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/bdb8b2f2-7b15-4451-b72a-b04e25c54cd1 [Accessed 08.08.2025].
Jasione L. Obradović, M. in Josifović, M. (1974). Flora SR Srbije VI. Srpska Akademija Nauka i Umetnosti, Beograd, pp. 571-572.
Jasione L. Tutin, T. G. in Tutin, T.G., Heywood, V.H., Burges, N.A., Moore, D.M., Valentine, D.H., Walters, S.M. & Webb, D.A. (1976). Flora Europaea. Volume 4: Plantaginaceae to Compositae (and Rubiaceae). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 100 -102.
Serrano, A., Dimitrova, L. and Ortiz, S. (2023). Nomenclature and Typification of the Jasione L. (Campanulaceae) Groups from the Eastern Mediterranean Basin. Plants, 13(1), 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13010050 [Accessed 08.08.2025].
Last update: 08.08.2025.