''Asperula hercegovina'', commonly known as the Hercegovinian woodruff (in Bosnian, ''hercegovačka lazarkinja''), is a herb endemic to

Bosnia & Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

of the Rubiaceae family.

Description

This species is a

perennial herb A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

. It tends to reach about 10–20 cm tall and can be smooth or hairy. Its leaves occur in apparent whorls, with a rough length of 13–25 cm and a width of about 1.5–2 (rarely 3) mm wide. Leaves are linear lancet, smooth or hairy, with rough edges and are longer than internodia. They have 6–12 involucral ballots that are 4–5 mm long and 2–4 mm wide. The shape of their lanceolate is egg-shaped or oval. It blooms in July and August. Flowers are in pseudoumbellated inflorescences, which are composed of 25–30 flowers. The crown is in four-parts, with length of 3–5 mm; it is white to pink. The flower has a funnel-shaped

corolla Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name * Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown * ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...

with clearly developed, 3–4 mm long tube and a circumference is divided into 4 lobules 1.5–2.5 mm in length. The laps of these flower cups are poorly developed. The stigma is a two-part and more than crowns. The fruit is about 1.5 mm long and hairless. One variety of this species is described: ''A. hercegovina''. var. ''Prodani Degen'', whose members are mostly hairy: stalking,

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

, bracts and crown.

Distribution and habitat

The most common habitat for these plants are cracked limestone

rocks In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...

, at an altitude of about 1,500 m, but more frequently from 1,700 to 2,000 and up to 2,100 m. This plant species is endemic to the Central Dinaric Alps of Bosnia & Herzegovina, being found in mountains of both Bosnia ( Bjelašnica, Hranisava and

Vlahinja Vlahinja ( sr-Cyrl, Влахиња; ro, Românești) is a village in Serbia situated in the municipality of Kuršumlija, district of Toplica. In 2002, it had 88 inhabitants, of which 87 were Serbs (98,86%). In 1948, the village had 494 inha ...

) and Herzegovina (

Čabulja Čabulja ( sr-cyrl, Чабуља) is a mountain in the municipality of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The highest point Velika Vlajna has an altitude of . See also *List of mountains in Bosnia and Herzegovina List of mountains in Bosnia and Herz ...

, Čvrsnica, Velež, Prenj and Plasa). It has also been found in Mt Durmitor, Montenegro, making it the first observation of ''Asperula hercegovina'' outside of

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15401043 hercegovina Flora of Bosnia and Herzegovina Flora of Europe