Haberlea
genus of plants
Haberlea is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. The only member of this genus, Haberlea rhodopensis, is endemic to parts of Bulgaria and a small part of northern Greece, especially in the Rhodope Mountains. Common names include Orpheus flower and resurrection plant because of the remarkable ability of Haberlea to survive very long periods of desiccation.
The species is a stemless, evergreen perennial found in north-facing rocky habitats. Basal rosettes of dark green leaves bear trumpet-shaped flowers in shades of white, violet or purple in spring and summer.
Despite the zygomorphic nectar-producing flowers (which are considered an ancestral character) and the overall trend in Gesneriaceae, Haberlea rhodopensis is only rarely pollinated by bees and does not have specific pollinators. Its evolution has switched in the direction of providing pollen as a reward and generalisation of pollinating insects, a trend that is observed in the only other European genus (Ramonda) of the generally tropical and subtropical family Gesneriaceae. Active pollinators of Haberlea are syrphids (hoverflies) and Lasioglossum morio bees (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) which are characterised by low preferential behaviour regarding the plants that they visit for food.
Haberlea rhodopensis, also known as Orpheus flower, resurrecting flower, and Rhodope Silivryak, is a rare ancient relict flower, native to the mountains of Bulgaria and adjacent northern Greece. There are approximately 20 areas in Bulgaria where Haberlea rhodopensis grows in nature; it can be found at various altitudes up to almost 2000 metres above sea level.
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This entry incorporates text from “Haberlea” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.