Article

More than 700 species of the Bulgarian vascular flora belong to the threatened or rare category, and 330 are protected by law. A classification according to 9 main criteria is presented, which shows that herbaceous perennials, cross-pollinated plants, those flowering in spring, etc., predominate. Detailed case histories are given for 6 species with very peculiar biological characteristics, and lO further model cases of note are more briefly presented . Although 31 taxa appear lO have become extinct in Bulgaria, the state of those surviving is generally satisfactory, except for a few growing in "hot spot" areas that are being closely monitored.