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28-650: The reserve was created to protect the largest forests of Bosnian pine ( Pinus heldreichii ) in the Balkans and is renowned for its rich flora — over 1500 species found within its limited territory. The reserve is situated on the northern slopes of the Slavyanka mountain range at altitudes between 1140 and 2212 m. It is separated from the Pirin mountain range further north by the Paril Saddle . The mountain

56-594: A 2–2.5 cm ( 3 ⁄ 4 –1 in) wing and are wind- dispersed . A tree in Northern Greece was dated as 1,075 years old in 2016. What is believed to be the oldest known living tree in Europe has been discovered in a remote mountainous area of the Pollino National Park in southern Italy. It is a Heldreich's pine estimated at 1,230 years. Much of its core has turned to dust, but there

84-701: A houseplant, Adiantum capillus-veneris requires filtered light and very humid conditions. It should be grown in soil rich in organic matter and should be watered frequently but lightly, to keep the roots damp but not drenched. The temperature should not fall below 12 °C (54 °F). It is propagated by dividing, making sure each clump has a section of rhizome. The fern is listed as an endangered species in North Carolina (as southern maidenhair-fern) and threatened species in Kentucky (as venus hair fern), due to loss of Appalachian habitat. This plant

112-570: A second time as P. leucodermis in 1864; the author of the second description (the Austrian botanist F. Antoine who found it on Orjen above the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro) being unaware of the slightly earlier publication by Christ. Some minor morphological differences have been claimed between the two descriptions (leading to the maintenance of both as separate taxa by a few botanists), but this

140-721: Is a species of ferns in the genus Adiantum and the family Pteridaceae with a subcosmopolitan worldwide distribution. It is cultivated as a popular garden fern and houseplant . Adiantum capillus-veneris is native to the southern half of the United States from California to the Atlantic coast, through Mexico and Central America, to South America. It is also native to Eurasia , the Levant in Western Asia , and Australasia . There are two disjunct occurrences in

168-699: Is an evergreen tree up to 25–35 metres (82–115 feet) in height, and 2 m ( 6 + 1 ⁄ 2  ft) in trunk diameter. It is a member of the hard pine group, Pinus subgenus Pinus , with leaves ('needles') in fascicles (bundles) of two, with a persistent sheath. They are 4.5–10 centimetres ( 1 + 3 ⁄ 4 –4 inches) long and 1.5–2 millimetres ( 1 ⁄ 16 – 3 ⁄ 32  in) thick. Cones are 5–9 cm (2– 3 + 1 ⁄ 2  in) long, with thin, fragile scales; they are dark blue-purple before maturation, turning brown when ripe about 16–18 months after pollination. The 6–7 mm ( 1 ⁄ 4 – 9 ⁄ 32  in) long seeds have

196-588: Is enough new growth to confirm it is still alive. A notable specimen in the Pirin Mountains of Bulgaria, known as Baikushev's pine , is 24 m (79 ft) tall, 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in) in diameter, and is estimated to be over 1300 years old. The species was first described as Pinus heldreichii by the Swiss botanist K. Hermann Christ in honour of Theodor von Heldreich in 1863 from specimens collected on Mount Olympus , and then described

224-487: Is formed by metamorphic Paleozoic limestone and marble that cover a granite nucleus. The territory of Ali Botush has varied geomorphological forms and a number of ridges, such as Brezata, Saint Constantine, Mitnitsata, Tepleshki Peak and Chaplen Bair. The reserve falls within the continental Mediterranean climate zone and due to its high altitude it also has Alpine climate . However, the Mediterranean influence

252-482: Is further able to withstand wind, ice and heavy snow. These abilities makes it suitable for reforestation of extensive dry and high-altitude areas. In the south of Italy it is planted because it is less susceptible to pests than other pine species. Adiantum capillus-veneris Adiantum capillus-veneris , the Southern maidenhair fern , black maidenhair fern , maidenhair fern , and venus hair fern ,

280-612: Is not supported by modern studies of the species, which show that both names refer to the same taxon. The discrepancies in the descriptions are largely due to Christ's cone specimens being immature and shrunken after drying, having been collected in July, four months before maturity. It can be found in the mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, southwestern Bulgaria, Albania, North Macedonia , Kosovo , northern Greece (Valia Kalda, Smolikas and Vasilitsa, Mount Olympus and in other high mountains), and locally in southern Italy (it

308-606: Is the black pine, while the woods at higher altitudes up to 1800–1900 m are formed by Bosnian pine and are the largest of their kind in the Balkans. The reserve, as well as Pirin National Park are the only habitats of this pine species in Bulgaria. The average age of the Bosnian pine forests is 60 to 120 years, reaching over 200 and rarely 400 years. The height of the individual trees can surpass 30 m. The beech and

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336-459: Is the symbol of the Pollino National Park ), growing at 1,500–2,500 m (4,900–8,200 ft) altitude. It reaches the alpine tree line in these areas. Bosnian pine is a popular ornamental tree in parks and large gardens, giving reliable, steady, though not fast, growth on a wide range of sites, and with a very neat, conical crown. It is also noted for its very decorative purple cones. The cultivars ‘Smidtii’ and ‘Compact Gem’ have been given

364-500: Is used medicinally by Native Americans. The Mahuna people use the plant internally for rheumatism, and the Navajo people of Kayenta, AZ use an infusion of the plant as a lotion for bumblebee and centipede stings. The Navajo people also smoke it or take it internally to treat mental illness. In the traditional medicine of Iran, frond infusion of Adiantum capillus-veneris is used for jaundice therapy. Along with this, they have

392-449: Is very strong and determines the rainfall regime, which has an autumn-winter maximum and a summer minimum. The mean temperatures in winter are much higher than the average temperatures at the same altitudes in the rest of the country. The influence of the foehn wind is very strong in the winter. The average annual temperature for the lower parts of the reserve is 14 °C and for the highest — about 6 °C. The average duration of

420-554: The Royal Horticultural Society 's Award of Garden Merit . It is hardy down to at least −45 °C (−49 °F), and tolerant of severe wind exposure. Many in cultivation are still grown under the name Pinus leucodermis or Pinus heldreichii var. leucodermis . P. heldreichii is able to adapt to extreme environmental conditions and is also a great colonizer. It is resistant to sulphur dioxide , hydrogen fluoride , nitrogen dioxide and ozone pollution and

448-574: The eastern greenish black-tip are Balkan endemic species and all other than the Grecian anomalous blue can be observed in Bulgaria only in Slavyanka and Pirin mountains. Pinus heldreichii Pinus heldreichii (synonym P. leucodermis ; family Pinaceae ), the Bosnian pine or Heldreich's pine , is a species of pine native to mountainous areas of the Balkans and southern Italy . It

476-436: The fir grow in shady habitats with riches soils while the Bosnian pine occupies zones with less nutrients. The shrub vegetation in the reserve is also varied and is composed of European yew ( Taxus baccata ), Bulgarian spurge laurel ( Daphne kosaninii ), spurge laurel ( Daphne mezereum ), Daphne oleoides and others. The herbaceous vegetation is very diverse due to the favourable climate and soil conditions, as well as

504-487: The frond rachis is black and wiry. Adiantum capillus-veneris is cultivated and widely available around the world for planting in natural landscape native plants and traditional shade gardens , for outdoor container gardens , and commonly as an indoor houseplant . Adiantum × mairisii is a winter hardy hybrid of Adiantum capillus-veneris with another species, which is likely to be one of Adiantum raddianum , Adiantum aethiopicum , or Adiantum cuneatum . As

532-691: The limestone bedrock. The Bulgarian section of Slavyanka is the only habitat of the endemic Convolvulus suendermanii . Important protected species include the black maidenhair fern ( Adiantum capillus-veneris ), Polygala nicaeensis , Rhamnus fallax , as well as the Balkan endemic species Fritillaria drenovskii , restricted to Slavyanka, Pirin and northern Greece, Pulsatilla rhodopaea , Saxifraga siribrnyi , long-spur violet ( Viola delphinantha ), restricted to this area of Bulgaria, as well as Greece, Paril centaurea ( Centaurea parilica ), restricted to Slavyanka and southern Pirin, etc. In 2012 one of

560-594: The northern part of North America: at Cascade Springs in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Fairmont Hot Springs, British Columbia . In both instances, the warm microclimate created by hot mineral springs permits the growth of the plant far north of its normal range. It is similar in Zvonce spa resort (Звоначка Бања, Zvonačka Banja), near Pirot in Serbia, where hot mineral springs provide adequate heat and humidity for

588-417: The period with temperatures above 10 °C for the low sections of the reserve is 200−220 days and for the high — 130 days. The annual precipitation ranges between 700 and 900 mm, and surpasses 900 mm in the highest zones. Due to the karst relief of the mountain the surface water resources of the reserve are scarce. The streams are sustained mainly with underground waters; rain provides 25−30% of

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616-823: The rare European cat snake and the Erhard's wall lizard . It is the only place in Bulgaria where the Macedonian crested newt is found. Of the invertebrate species between 55 and 60% belong to the Mediterranean biome. So far, over 1200 insect species have been described from the reserve. The diurnal butterflies are of particular interest. In 1992 biologist Zdravko Kolev identified five new butterfly species for Bulgaria — eastern greenish black-tip ( Euchloe penia ), Phalakron blue ( Polyommatus andronicus ), Grecian anomalous blue ( Polyommatus aroaniensis ), Higgin's anomalous blue ( Polyommatus nephohiptamenos ) and Dils' grayling ( Pseudochazara orestes ); of them all except for

644-476: The reserve's relative isolation in the border zone. On its tiny territory there are over 1500 species of vascular plants which makes it a key floristic formation centre in the Balkan Peninsula. There are over 20 Bulgarian endemic species, of which five can only be observed in the reserve, and 42 to 46 Balkan endemic taxa. The plant species are both from the Mediterranean evergreen forests biome and from

672-514: The southern hemisphere, north-facing in the north, or in gorges. It occurs throughout Africa in moist places by streams. On moist sandstone cliffs it grows in full or partial shade, even when unprotected. Adiantum capillus-veneris grows from 6 to 12 in (15 to 30 cm) in height; its fronds arising in clusters from creeping rhizomes 8 to 27.5 in (20 to 70 cm) tall, with very delicate, light green fronds much subdivided into pinnae 0.2 to 0.4 in (5 to 10 mm) long and broad;

700-469: The survival of this species. It is found in temperate climates from warm-temperate to tropical, where the moisture content is high but not saturating, in the moist, well-drained sand, loam or limestone of many habitats , including rainforests, shrub and woodlands, broadleaf and coniferous forests, and desert cliff seeps , and springs . It often may be seen growing on moist, sheltered and shaded sandstone or limestone formations, generally south-facing in

728-632: The temperate forests biome. The deciduous forests in the lowest reaches of the reserve are dominated by European beech ( Fagus sylvatica ) and European hop-hornbeam ( Ostrya carpinifolia ), and more rarely — sweet chestnut ( Castanea sativa ). The coniferous forest belt is composed of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris ), black pine ( Pinus nigra ), Norway spruce ( Picea abies ), European silver fir ( Abies alba ), Bulgarian fir ( Abies borisii-regis ), Macedonian pine ( Pinus peuce ) and Bosnian pine ( Pinus heldreichii ). The dominant tree species of lower coniferous belt between 1000 and 1450 m

756-450: The total flow volume, whereas snow forms another 20−25%. The soil covers consists of cinnamon forest soils in lower ground and brown forest soils at higher altitude. The humus-carbonate soil type predominates but there are also mountain-meadow soils in the highest sections. The humus-carbonate soils are shallow to moderately deep. They are usually dry and warm. Ali Botush is home to diverse flora which has remain intact and pristine due to

784-648: The world's rarest fungi, Zeus olympius , known until then only from Mount Olympus in Greece, was discovered in Ali Botush. It grows only in association with Bosnian pine. The fauna of the reserve is also varied. The most common larger mammals include brown bear , gray wolf , roe deer , wild boar , European hare , red fox , European badger and golden jackal . The reptiles are diverse and include two species of turtles, spur-thighed tortoise and Hermann's tortoise , as well as numerous snakes and lizards, such as

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