Red Data Book plants of the Carpathians

These plants and fungi are listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine: picking, digging up or selling them is prohibited. Admire them on the meadows and in the forests — and leave them where they grow.

PoisonousRed Data Book of UkraineCarpathian rhododendronRhododendron myrtifoliumThe same 'red ruta' from the song: an evergreen shrub that covers the polonynas with pink-purple flowers in June - July.

Red Data Book of UkraineHeuffel's crocusCrocus heuffelianusPurple spring carpets on mountain meadows, just after the snow melts. It blooms from March to May, in the high mountains — until June.

Red Data Book of UkraineEdelweissLeontopodium alpinumThe silvery 'star' on limestone cliffs. In the Ukrainian Carpathians, there are only a few small populations; a disappearing species in the Red Book.

PoisonousRed Data Book of UkraineAlpine pasqueflowerPulsatilla albaWhite fluffy flowers that bloom on the polonynas of Chornohora right after the snow. A rare species in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Deadly poisonousRed Data Book of UkraineEuropean yewTaxus baccataA long-lived coniferous tree of beech forests with red 'berries'. Mortally poisonous; a vulnerable species in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Deadly poisonousRed Data Book of UkraineDeadly nightshadeAtropa belladonnaTall grass of beech forests with shiny black berries in a star-shaped calyx. Deadly poisonous; listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.

EdibleRed Data Book of UkraineWild garlic (ramsons)Allium ursinumSpring 'wild garlic' in moist beech forests. A species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine, while its lookalikes — lily of the valley, autumn crocus, and white hellebore — are deadly poisonous.

PoisonousRed Data Book of UkraineSnowdropGalanthus nivalisThe first flower of the year in the beech and hornbeam forests of the foothills. It blooms from February to April; listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.

Deadly poisonousRed Data Book of UkraineAutumn crocusColchicum autumnalePink-lilac flowers on autumn meadows without a single leaf. Deadly poisonous; in spring, its leaves are confused with wild garlic.

Red Data Book of UkraineMartagon lilyLilium martagonThe only wild lily of Ukraine: pink-purple 'turbans' with dark spots on the edges of forests and mountain meadows. It blooms in June - July.

PoisonousRed Data Book of UkraineSpring snowflakeLeucojum vernumWhite bells with green spots on the tips of the petals cover the Carpathian meadows and forests in March. A species in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Red Data Book of UkraineRoserootRhodiola roseaA succulent plant of high mountain rocks with yellow inflorescences and a rhizome that smells like a rose. Red Data Book of Ukraine: collecting is prohibited.

Red Data Book of UkraineSwiss stone pinePinus cembraThe Carpathian 'cedar': five soft needles in a bundle and cones with nuts. It grows near the tree line in the Gorgany; a vulnerable species listed in the Red Book.

EdibleRed Data Book of UkraineCauliflower fungusSparassis crispaA rare fungus resembling creamy cauliflower, found at the base of coniferous trees. Listed in the Red Book of Ukraine: collecting is prohibited.

PoisonousRed Data Book of UkraineNarrow-leaved poet's daffodilNarcissus poeticusWhite daffodils with a red rim: in May, they cover the Valley of the Daffodils near the city of Khust and the mountain polonynas of the Marmarosy and Świdowiec.

Red Data Book of UkraineBroad-leaved marsh orchidDactylorhiza majalisA wild orchid of moist mountain meadows with a purple spike and spotted leaves. A species in the Red Data Book of Ukraine — admire it, do not pick it.

Red Data Book of UkraineGreat yellow gentianGentiana luteaA tall plant of the polonyna with layers of yellow flowers and broad leaves. A disappearing species in the Red Book of Ukraine; has a dangerous lookalike — white hellebore.

Red Data Book of UkraineLady's-slipper orchidCypripedium calceolusThe largest wild orchid in Europe with a yellow 'slipper' and purple petals. It blooms in May – June; strictly protected.

EdibleRed Data Book of UkraineCoral tooth fungusHericium coralloidesThe white 'coral' fungus with thin hanging spines on dead wood. A species from the Red Book of Ukraine — admire it, collecting is prohibited.

Red Data Book of UkraineCarpathian bellflowerCampanula carpaticaLarge blue bells on limestone cliffs — an endemic of the Carpathians. It blooms in June — July; listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.

Red Data Book of UkrainePerennial honestyLunaria redivivaA tall forest plant with fragrant lilac flowers and silvery flat 'moons' of fruit. A species in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.

Red Data Book of UkraineFragrant orchidGymnadenia conopseaFragrant orchid of mountain meadows with a pink spike of long-spurred flowers. A species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine — admire it, do not pick it.

EdibleRed Data Book of UkraineOld man of the woodsStrobilomyces strobilaceusAn amazing gray-black mushroom resembling a cone with scaly flakes. A rare species in the Red Book of Ukraine — collecting is prohibited.

Red Data Book of UkraineStemless gentianGentiana acaulisLarge ultramarine "bells" almost stemless among the rocks and scree of the high mountains. A species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine — admire, do not pick.

Red Data Book of UkraineSpotted gentianGentiana punctataA rare alpine gentian with pale yellow bells marked with dark spots. A species in the Red Book of Ukraine — collecting is prohibited.