Crocus orphei
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Crocus orphei faces severe pressure from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and urban development across its limited range in the Balkans. Overgrazing by livestock has degraded many of its mountain meadow habitats, while climate change threatens to shift suitable growing conditions to higher elevations. The species' extremely restricted distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to localized threats and stochastic events.
Habitat
Crocus orphei inhabits subalpine and alpine meadows, rocky slopes, and grasslands at elevations between 1,200-2,000 meters in mountainous regions of the Balkans. The species typically grows in well-drained soils among sparse vegetation in areas with cold winters and moderate summer temperatures.
