ANDROSACE KUCZEROVII KNJASEV (PRIMULACEAE) – THE ENDEMIC OF SOUTH URALS AND ISSUES OF ITS PROTECTION

The authors dedicate this work to the memory of the famous researcher of the flora of the Southern Urals, Professor, Doctor of Biological Sciences Evgeniy Vasilyevich Kucherov, whose 100th birthday anniversary was celebrated on May 10, 2024. The species Androsace kuczerovii Knjasev (family Primulaceae) – endemic to the Southern Urals – was described in 1998 from the territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan (RB) by the famous botanist from Yekaterinburg M.S. Knyazev [Knyazev, 1998]. The species is included in the Red Book of the Republic of Bashkortostan, 3rd edition [2021] with regional protection status: 1) rarity status category: 1 – endangered species; 2) endangered status category: critically endangered (CR); 3) conservation status: I priority (immediate adoption of comprehensive measures is required, including the development and implementation of a strategy for the conservation of this species and (or) a program for their restoration (reintroduction) in the Southern Urals). In the Republic of Bashkortostan, three localities of the species are known on the eastern slope of the Southern Urals – in the Abzelilovsky (Ulugurtau ridge near the village of Makhmutovo, Mount Turpai near the village Ishkulovo) and Baymaksky (Irendyk ridge in the vicinity of the village of Kuseevo) regions. The features of ecology and biology, the size and condition of the population on the ridge Ulugurtau, limiting factors, and the measures taken and necessary to protect this species are considered.