<\/p>
CAT: Bot\u00f3 d’or<\/p>
ES:<\/p>
FAMILY:<\/strong> Ranunculaceae<\/p> DISTRIBUTION:<\/strong> endemic to Mallorca, with very scarce populations distributed in Puig Major and the Serra de Llevant.<\/p> DESCRIPTION:<\/strong> small perennial herb forming basal rosettes with numerous lobed leaves. The petioles are long and hairy, and the flowers are solitary, yellow, and showy. The fruits are achenes grouped in globose heads, laterally compressed, with a short beak, and arranged on a relatively small receptacle.<\/p> CONSERVATION STATUS:<\/strong> populations are increasingly reduced due to climate change and grazing pressure from ungulate herbivores. The species is classified as vulnerable (VU) according to the IUCN. It is legally protected by the Spanish National Catalogue, as well as at the European level by the Habitats Directive and the Bern Convention, and also by the Balearic Catalogue.<\/p> PHENOLOGY:<\/strong> flowers from May to mid-July if climatic conditions are favourable and herbivory pressure is low. Due to the attractiveness of its flowers and the humid habitat it occupies, it is particularly appealing to herbivores, especially goats.<\/p> LIFE FORM:<\/strong> hemicryptophyte adapted to moist rocky microhabitats, typical of Mediterranean mountain endemic plants.<\/p> HABITAT:<\/strong> found in high mountain areas, growing in rock crevices on shady, humid cliffs, usually north-facing.<\/p> USES:<\/strong><\/p> IN THE BOTANICAL GARDEN:<\/strong> The population maintained in the Botanical Garden as living plants comes from seeds collected in Puig Major. In terrace 5, it has found its optimal habitat on the walls forming the channel that carries water from the s\u2019Olla spring, where it forms a dense carpet with a much larger number of individuals than in natural populations.<\/p> Seeds from both Puig Major and the Serra de Llevant are stored at -20 \u00baC in the germplasm bank. Herbarium specimens from these populations are also available for consultation.<\/p> During 2026, additional samples are being collected to create a duplicate seed collection within the REDBAG network. This task has been challenging, as goats and sheep grazing in these cool mountain areas prevent fruit development by feeding on the plants while in flower. For this reason, populations have been monitored weekly and flowers protected individually to allow fruit formation. Even so, the populations are at serious risk of extinction unless grazing pressure and feral goat populations are reduced.\u00a0<\/p> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CAT: Bot\u00f3 d’or ES: FAMILY: Ranunculaceae DISTRIBUTION: endemic to Mallorca, with very scarce populations distributed in Puig Major and the Serra de Llevant. DESCRIPTION: small perennial herb forming basal rosettes with numerous lobed leaves. The petioles are long and hairy, and the flowers are solitary, yellow, and showy. The fruits are achenes grouped in globose […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":11804,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[143],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pieces-and-plants-of-the-month"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n