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| Latin name: | Saponaria jagelii Phitos & Greuter |
| Common name: | none |
| Family: | Caryophyllaceae (carnation family) |
| Status: | CRITICALLY ENDANGERED (CR) |
Where is it found?
Saponaria jagelii grows in the western part of the Greek island of Elafonisos, which is a small island covering about 25 km2, located 600 m off the southern coast of the Peloponnese. It is only known to occur on this island where it grows in two scattered, very restricted localities on the sandy sea-shore.
 
The island of Elafonisos (Greece)
How to recognise it
Saponaria jagelii is an annual plant, which means that it grows each year from seed, rather than resprouting from an existing plant. It has an erect, rather robust branching stem 3-10 cm tall. This stem is reddish, the upper part has some glandular hairs, the lower part almost none. The fleshy leaves are reddish-green, 1-4.5 cm long and lanceolate; the leaf margins are occasionally fringed with fine hairs. The upper leaf surfaces and leaf stalks may be hairy as well. The calyx is cylindrical, reddish, has short teeth, and is covered with glandular hairs. The petals are red with some white at the base, and taper towards the base. The fruit is a nearly cylindrical capsule. The flowering period lasts from March to early June.
Interesting facts
This species is part of the characteristic plant community growing in disturbed conditions along sandy beaches, together with Ammophila arenaria, Euphorbia paralias, Medicago marina, and Silene sedoides. It is related to Saponaria calabrica, but differs from the latter in a number of characters.
Why is it threatened?
This species has been categorized CR (Critically Endangered) according to IUCN Red List Criteria B1ab(i,ii,iii,v)+B2ab(i,ii,iii,v) because the plant is only known to occur at two sites covering a very small area, and the size of the area, quality of habitat, and number of individuals is expected to decline. Tourism is rapidly developing on the island and human activities on the beach, such as driving motor vehicles and trampling, represent a major threat, especially during Saponaria jagelii's flowering period. This increase in tourism could result in a decline of the population or even its extinction within a short time. However, the species should be able to tolerate a moderate number of tourists during the main vacation season after the end of May when its seed capsules are already ripe. At that time, some exposure to trampling could even be beneficial for seed dispersal.
What is being done to protect it?
Legally: This species is not included in any international conventions or national legislation. The plant is included in Natura 2000 site GR 2540002, which gives it indirect protection.
In situ: There are no current measures in place.
Ex situ: This species is being cultivated in the Botanical Garden of Bochum University, Germany.
What conservation actions are needed?
Since it is probably not feasible to prevent tourists from accessing the beach, cars at least should be forbidden. Ideally, its habitat should not be accessible during the plant's germination from seeds to the completion of the fruit set, which is from early May to early June. It is also essential to conserve this species ex situ by cultivating it in botanical gardens and by storing its seeds in a seedbank.
Scientific coordination
Professor Gregoris Iatroś, Department of Biology, Division of Plant Biology, Institute of Botany, University of Patras, Greece.
References
Phitos & Greuter (1993); Phitos et al. (1995).
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