Balkan endemic plants in Central Serbia and Kosovo regions: distribution patterns, ecological characteristics, and centres of diversity

The aim of the present study is to determine the exact number of the Balkan endemic taxa at specific and subspecific rank in the Central Serbia and Kosovo regions, as well as their distribution, and to perform a chorological and ecological analysis of this flora. Detailed and long-term field studies confirmed the presence of 492 Balkan endemic species and subspecies in the investigated area. The most important contributors at family rank in the Balkan endemic flora are Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Fabaceae, Brassicaceae, and Lamiaceae, with Hieracium, Dianthus, Centaurea, and Silene being the genera with the highest number of endemic taxa. In the chorological and life form spectra of the Balkan endemics, taxa from South European and Central European mountainous chorological groups and hemicryptophytes and chamaephytes are the most abundant. The presence of endemic plants in 11 geographical provinces in Central Serbia and Kosovo regions was also analyzed and cluster analysis was used to classify the geographical provinces according to their floristic similarities. The final analyses of distribution and magnitude of endemism include summary mapping of all the endemic taxa at 10 × 10-km Universal Transverse Mercator maps. High-mountainous areas of Mts Prokletije and Mts Šar-Planina are distinctive centres of richness and diversity of the Balkan endemic flora in Central Serbia and Kosovo regions. Most endemics were recorded on limestone and at 1500–2000 m a.s.l. Vegetation classes Asplenietea trichomanes, Festuco-Brometea, Elyno-Seslerietea, and Erico-Pinetea are the richest in endemic taxa. A catalogue of the Balkan endemic taxa in Central Serbia and Kosovo regions, with their threatened and legally protected status, is also presented.