Euphrasia picta Wimm., new species to the flora of Albania

Marjol Meço ¹, Alfred Mullaj ²

Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Albania. ¹, Research Center of Flora and Fauna, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Albania. ²

Euphrasia picta is a hemiparasitic annual plant native to Europe, primarily found in temperate regions. It was recently reported for the first time in Albania during a floristic survey conducted in September 2024. The plant was found growing on wet limestone substrates near 'Kori i Shtrazës' in Theth Valley, at the edge of a mixed forest composed of Pinus heldreichii and Fagus sylvatica, within the National Park of the Albanian Alps (42°25'39.88"N, 19°45'42.37"E), 1150m a.s.l. This new record increases the total number of Euphrasia species identified in Albania to eight.

Main author career stage: Postdoc / Fellow

Contribution type: Poster

First choice session: 1. Systematics, phylogenetics, biogeography and evolution

Second choice session: 6. Plants, Fungi and Society