Mali i Thatë

Mali i Thatë is a mountain in Albania - a part of it lies in Macedonia and is named Galičica. Highest altitude of Mali i Thatë is 2287 m.

Wrong form of this geographical name is Mali hat / Mali Hat.

Mali i Thatë is a habitat of:
S. marmoreum subsp. marmoreum
S. ciliosum subsp. octopodes.

Photo of habitat: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nfhB1q9SM8udtheoDxsjtA

I think, that S. octopodes does not grow there. Sempervivum ciliosum var. galicicum grows there.

And what about Sempervivum jakucsii???

I was not in Mali i Thatë mountains. But I would like to visit these mountains. I think, that Mali i Thatë mountains are very interestring. Does anyone know anything more about S. jakucsii?

So, another question. Does anyone know something about S. jakucsii? I am asking before I will write more...

Nothing more than what I found with Google: that it is regarded as a synonim of S. ciliosum ssp. octopodes. Of course, species and subspecies are just a concept, a way of organising biotic diversity - in our mind. Clearly, Mitchell was convinced that this plant is different from octopodes. The question is then if this was because he knew only a few clones of octopodes (and did not have a sufficient overview of the variation within this taxon), or if there is some real difference which sets this plant apart.

I feel that on one hand many taxa were described prematurely, but equally prematurely many are now discarded as synonims. Perhaps an alternative is to use these names as variety of clone names, untill fieldwork combined with DNA research tells otherwise.

(I am aware that I could state this in many threads on this forum, but like this I will get a message when you write more on this interesting plant, Jezour )

Sempervivum jakucsii was described by Pénzes in 1965. There was not much information about habitat - between Pojan and Podgorje in Mali i Thatë mountains, Albania.

Not enough information, isn't it? That was the reason, why I found something more about S. jakucsii. I got the original description and the picture of the herbary item. I want to thank the employees of the Museum in Budapest. They helped me with the research very much.

Mali i Thatë mountains are the continuation of Galičica. The mountains are created by limestone. There grow two species of the genus Sempervivum in Mali i Thatë mountains (maybe more, but I do not know about them now) - S. ciliosum var. galicicum and S. marmoreum. When I have seen the herbary item, I was very surprised. S. jakucsii is not the synonym for S. octopodes. It is a bigger plant of Sempervivum ciliosum var. galicicum.

There is one interestring thing. S. jakucsii was described earlier than S. ciliosum var. galicicum. S. jakucsii - 1965, S. ciliosum var. galicicum - 1978. Is not S. ciliosum var. galicicum the synonym for S. jakucsii??

Another interestring thing. You can read in many books, that S. jakucsii is the synonym for S. octopodes. I think, that it is nice example of copying. Many authors copy the information, althoug they do not know anything about it.

I am looking forward to your questions.