NEWS: PROMONT SPECIES SPOTLIGHT: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MT. ŽABA
The species being introduced this week can be found on Mount Žaba, which is the target area of our partner, the Municipality of Neum in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Scientific name: Anthyllis vulneraria
Common name: Kidney Vetch – Pravi ranjenik
Family: Fabaceae
Conservation status: Anthyllis vulneraria is not legally protected in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Causes: Threats include habitat loss due to urbanization and agriculture, over-harvesting in the wild, changes in land use, and climate change affecting growth conditions.
Information about the species: Anthyllis vulneraria is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Fabaceae family. It grows up to 30 cm tall, with upright stems and long, narrow leaves. The yellow flowers are grouped in heads and bloom from May to July. The plant is widespread in Europe, including Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it grows on dry meadows, rocky slopes, and forest edges.
Interesting facts/why it is important: This plant is known for its ability to grow on metal-contaminated soils, making it interesting for research in phytoremediation.
Scientific name: Cerastium grandiflorum
Common name: Large-flowered mouse ear – Velecvjetni rožac
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Conservation status: Cerastium grandiflorum is a strictly protected species in Croatia, listed in the Regulation on Strictly Protected Species (Official Gazette, Nos. 144/13 and 73/16). In Bosnia and Herzegovina, legal regulations are not clearly defined.
Causes: Threats to Cerastium grandiflorum include habitat loss due to urbanization and agriculture, over-collection in the wild, changes in land use, and climate change affecting growth conditions.
Information about the species: Cerastium grandiflorum is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Caryophyllaceae family. It has an upright or prostrate stem, grayish-green due to dense woolly hairs, and grows in tufts up to 10–30 cm tall. The leaves are alternate, linear, pointed or rounded at the tip. The flowers are bisexual, up to 2 cm in size, gathered in loose clusters, with five white petals deeply cleft and twice as long as the calyx. It blooms from June to August.
Interesting facts/why it is important: The genus name Cerastium comes from the Greek word keras (horn), referring to the horn-like shape of the mature seed capsules.
Scientific name: Salvia officinalis
Common name: Garden Sage, Common Sage – Ljekovita kadulja
Family: Lamiaceae
Conservation status: In Croatia, garden sage is not legally protected, but sustainable harvesting is recommended to preserve its natural habitats. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, legal regulations are not clearly defined.
Causes: Threats include habitat loss due to urbanization and agriculture, over-harvesting in the wild, changes in land use and soil degradation, and climate change affecting growth conditions.
Information about the species: Garden sage (Salvia officinalis) is a perennial subshrub from the Lamiaceae family. It grows up to 70 cm tall, with wrinkled, grayish-green leaves and purple-blue flowers that bloom from May to July. It naturally grows on rocky hills in coastal areas and Mediterranean islands, and due to its medicinal value, it is cultivated worldwide.
Interesting facts/why it is important: Sage is a good melliferous plant; bees collect a lot of nectar and some pollen, with a daily yield of up to 6 kg per hive.
Scientific name: Helichrysum italicum
Common name: Everlasting, Curry Plant – Primorsko smilje
Family: Asteraceae
Conservation status: Helichrysum italicum is not legally protected in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Causes: threats to Helichrysum italicum include habitat loss due to land development, over-harvesting for essential oil production, soil degradation, and the impacts of climate change on its growth and survival.
Information about the species: Helichrysum italicum is a low-growing, aromatic plant with silvery leaves and yellow flowers that grows in dry, rocky areas along the Adriatic coast. It is often used in the production of essential oils and cosmetic products due to its aromatic and medicinal properties.
Interesting facts/why it is important: this species is highly valued for its essential oils, which are widely used in aromatherapy, cosmetics, and traditional medicine.
Scientific name: Tanacetum cinerariifoliuom
Common name: Dalmatian Pyrethrum – Dalmatinski buhač
Family: Asteraceae
Conservation status: In Croatia, Dalmatian pellitory is a strictly protected species according to the Regulation on Strictly Protected Species (Official Gazette, Nos. 144/13 and 73/16), and any collection is allowed only with permission from the Ministry of Environment and Energy. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the legal regulations are not clearly defined.
Causes: Threats to the species include habitat loss due to urbanization and agriculture, over-harvesting of flowers in the wild, changes in land use and soil degradation, as well as climate change and unfavorable growing conditions.
Information about the species: Dalmatian pellitory resembles a daisy but has a larger flower and bluish-green leaves measuring 45–100 cm long. In southern Croatia, the plant is traditionally used for livestock fodder and in folk medicine during its vegetative stage, while its flowers are used to produce botanical insecticide in the generative stage. The insecticide is effective against about 75% of known insects but is highly unstable and requires careful handling, with resistance documented in 15 insect species.
Interesting facts/why it is important: Dalmatian pellitory is an important source of natural insecticide, with its flowers containing pyrethrins effective against many insect species. The plant is also traditionally used in southern Croatia for livestock fodder and folk medicine, highlighting its cultural and economic significance.
Scientific name: Testudo hermanni
Common name: Hermann’s Tortoise – Obična čančara
Family: Testudinidae
Conservation status: Testudo hermanni is a protected species in Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Law on Nature Protection, and capturing, trading, or harming this species is prohibited.
Causes: Near Threatened NT
Information about the species: The shell color of Hermann’s tortoise varies, with western subspecies being patterned and eastern ones more uniform; females are larger than males, and their limbs have 4 or 5 claws. They live in forests and coastal woodlands, feeding on grass, leaves, flowers, and occasionally insects, snails, and worms, while in zoos they eat vegetables and grass. They are active during the day, hibernate in winter, and young tortoises are preyed upon by birds of prey, rats, snakes, wild boars, foxes, and badgers.
Interesting facts/why it is important: Scientists do not know how long they can live, and the known ages are only from a few individuals, such as a 110-year-old tortoise in one of the zoos in the United Kingdom.
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Photos by:
Anthyllis vulneraria by Harry Jans on Saxifraga Foundation
Cerastium grandiflorum by Jasenka Topic on Saxifraga Foundation
Salvia officinalis by Jasenka Topic on Saxifraga Foundation
Helichrysum italicum by Sonja Bouwman on Saxifraga Foundation
Tanacetum cinerariifolium by Jasenka Topic on Saxifraga Foundation
Testudo Hermanni by Ed Stikvoort on Saxifraga Foundation