Veratrum lobelianum Bernh.

Taxonomy: Fam. Melanthiaceae// Genus: Veratrum// Aggregate: Veratrum album aggr.// Species: Veratrum lobelianum Bernh. The taxonomic classification is given according to The Euro+Med PlantBase (source: Raab-Straube, 2020+).

Determined according to the botanical key and distinguishing features/ description provided by Heywood (1980 in Tutin et. al) and Colasante and Rudall (1999).

Distribution: Native from North and Central Europe to Italy, Balkan Peninsula, Caucasus, Mongolia and Russian Far East according to the distribution information provided by the Plants of the World Online portal (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew).

Lifeform: Perennial; Geophyte according to the Raunkiær system.

Habitat: Subalpine grasslands, clearings of European beech forests, Pteridium aquilinum fields. Widespread in the European beech forests and subalpine pastures zones. Recorded from c. 1450 up to 1800 m altitude on several localities: Ponikva, Kormina region, Retki buki, Mrtvicki rid, Markova stupka below “Carevr vrv” peak.

Flowering period: Summer: JUN, JUL.

Pastures in “Markova stupka” region below “Carev vrv” peak overgrown with *Veratrum lobelianum*, 06.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

Locality: Kormina region. Date: 06.07.2023.

*Veratrum lobelianum* – habit. Osogovo – near “Kormina” region, 06.07.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

Locality: Ponikva. Date: 03.07.2022.

*Veratrum lobelianum* – habit. Osogovo, Ponikva, 03.07.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

Locality: Ponikva. Date: 18.06.2022.

*Veratrum lobelianum* – plant in flower bud stage. Osogovo, Ponikva, 18.06.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

Locality: Ponikva. Date: 28.05.2022.

*Veratrum lobelianum* – habit of vegetative plants. Osogovo, Ponikva, 28.05.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

References:

Colasante, M. & Rudall, P. J. (2000). Veratrum album and V. nigrum (Melanthiaceae) in Italy: Micromorphology and systematics. Plant Biosystems 134(2):233-240. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233334633_Veratrum_album_and_V_nigrum_Melanthiaceae_in_Italy_Micromorphology_and_systematics [Accessed 04.07.2022].

Heywood, V. H. 1980. Veratrum L. In 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 5. Alismataceae to Orchidaceae (Monocotyledones). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 16–17.

Veratrum lobelianum Bernh. Plants of the World Online portal, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30300236-2 [Accessed 04.07.2022].

Veratrum lobelianum. Raab-Straube, E. von (2020+): Melanthiaceae. – In: Euro+Med PlantBase. The information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Published on the Internet https://europlusmed.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/b4cec1f5-c79f-42cf-ae8c-f1dc79ea7144 [Accessed 04.07.2022].

Last update: 08.01.2026.

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