Orchids of the Crimea: Description, Pattern of Life, Distribution, Threats, Conservation, Iconography

Description:

The Crimean Peninsula is one of the most beautiful regions in Eastern Europe. Within a relatively small area (26,900 sq-km), the peninsula has diverse landscapes and a rich flora with more than 2,500 vascular plant species.

This book is the first book entirely devoted to the orchids of the Crimean Peninsula. It covers all known 45 orchid species and 5 infraspecific taxa that occur there. The distribution for each taxon is shown on 5-km grid maps. The treatment of each species, subspecies, and variety includes a morphological description and information about its type and nomenclature, as well as information about its habitat, flowering time, geographical and altitudinal distribution in the Crimea and elsewhere, and pollinators. Where necessary, other important aspects, e.g. occurrence of hybrids and current threats, are given as well. All orchid taxa are illustrated with numerous colour photos. Photos of a few natural orchid hybrids, occurring in the Crimea, are also provided. The book also includes a General Section, which describes the main aspects of the Crimean geography, history, vegetation and flora, as well as the conservation and botanical exploration of Crimean orchids.