Flora of the Moravian Karst: what's in bloom, where to see it, and what you're allowed to pick

Across the 98 km² of the Moravian Karst, 65 specially protected species of vascular plants grow today, and several of them can’t be found anywhere else in the country. Matthiola-leaved bellflower clings on in the walls of the Macocha Abyss — the only population in the Czech Republic. The Pustý žleb and Suchý žleb valleys are home to rare ferns and yew trees, woodland orchids flower in the beech forests, and pasque flowers bloom on the southern steppe slopes. Only common, unprotected plants may be picked, and only outside the reserves and in quantities for personal use. In the four national nature reserves here, you’re also not allowed to stray from the marked path — which rules out picking anything there anyway.

QUICK LINKS 🌱 Why so many rarities grow here · 📅 What’s in flower when · ⭐ 5 plants you won’t see anywhere else · 🌿 Herbs you’re allowed to pick · ⚖️ Rules on picking · 🥾 Where to go and look · ❓ FAQ

Why so many rare plants grow here

Limestone lets water through. As a result, the ridges and south-facing scree slopes dry out quickly and support steppe and forest-steppe plants you’d more typically expect in South Moravia. A few hundred metres away, on the valley floor, it stays cool and damp, and species from the foothills and mountains take hold instead.

Nowhere is this more extreme than at Macocha. The decree establishing the Vývěry Punkvy National Nature Reserve explicitly refers to a pronounced climatic and vegetation inversion — cold air settles at the bottom of the abyss, so mountain and relict species grow down below, while heat-loving species take the top of the rim. The exact opposite of what you’d normally expect in the landscape.

Over the whole history of botanical research here, around a hundred specially protected vascular plant species have been recorded. Many have since died out, or haven’t been seen for years. Today the Protected Landscape Area Administration lists 65 (source: AOPK ČR, Rozbory předmětu ochrany CHKO Moravský kras, August 2017).

What’s in flower when: a season-long calendar

Dates are approximate. The warmer southern part of the karst tends to run about two weeks ahead of the northern area around Sloup and Holštejn.

If you’re planning a trip specifically for the flora, you’ll catch the most in the second half of May. The orchids are flowering in the beech forests, the steppes are still green, and the bellflower is just starting in the gorges. For more on the seasons, see the separate article on when to visit the Moravian Karst.

Five plants you won’t see anywhere else in the Czech Republic

Matthiola-leaved bellflower — the only site in the country

It grows in the walls of the Macocha Abyss and nowhere else in the Czech Republic. It’s considered a native, relict population here — a survivor from a colder period.

Its story is rather a sad one, though. During monitoring in the 1990s, botanists counted around 120 plants. When the survey was repeated in 2013, only around 60 remained. No one knows the exact cause. One open question is whether the population was affected by the opening of the Macocha Abyss via the Absolon water route in 1933, which turned an enclosed chasm into a space microclimatically connected to the Pustý žleb valley. Simply no data was collected from before that point. Wind doors were later installed in the abyss to limit air flow, and today the microclimate is monitored by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute in Brno.

You won’t spot it from the viewpoints above Macocha — it grows on an inaccessible rock face. But it’s worth knowing what you’re looking at. I write about the abyss itself in the Macocha guide, and about Absolon in the article on hidden stories of the karst.

Bird’s-eye primrose — 6 plants in 1998, 3 in 2013

In 1998, botanists found six plants growing in crevices on the sheer north-facing rock face of Suchý žleb, one of them in flower. When the site was checked again in 2013, only three tiny, non-flowering specimens remained. It’s the only site in the Czech Republic where this might represent a native relict population — and the whole thing fits on a single rock.

Lady’s slipper orchid — the largest Czech orchid

A yellow slipper-shaped flower with brownish petals, our most striking orchid. Only two populations survive in the Moravian Karst, both within the Vývěry Punkvy National Nature Reserve. One has 12 clumps, the other around 200. The Protected Landscape Area Administration occasionally clears shading scrub to keep them from being overgrown by the forest.

Hart’s-tongue fern and baneberry — the richest occurrence in the country

Two completely different plants with one thing in common: nowhere else in the Czech Republic do they grow in greater numbers than here. Hart’s-tongue is a fern with entire, undivided fronds (hence the name), found on damp, shaded limestone at Vývěry Punkvy. Baneberry, by contrast, is a tall herb with white flower spikes that can grow over two metres high, found in the scree forests of Býčí skála and Vývěry Punkvy.

Dwarf iris on the Macocha slope

A small purple iris, typical of the South Moravian steppes. In the karst, it long grew only in the Velký Hornek reserve. In 2012, though, botanists also found it on the Macocha slope — currently its northernmost known site in Moravia.

Herbs that grow commonly here and which you’re allowed to pick

The karst isn’t just a collection of protected rarities. On the drier slopes, field margins and path edges grow perfectly ordinary herbs that everyone knows:

• wild marjoram — wild oregano, thrives on limestone
• wild thyme — carpets the sun-baked limestone pavement
• St John’s wort — path edges, flowers around Midsummer
• yarrow, ribwort plantain, stinging nettle — everywhere
• dog rose and elder — field margins and forest edges

I go into detail on these, including recipes and safety notes, in the e-book on the herbs of the Moravian Karst.

Watch out for two look-alikes

Balm-leaved figwort looks and smells similar to lemon balm, but it’s a specially protected species. It grows in deciduous woodland throughout the karst, and picking it is an offence. You can tell it apart by its large pink-and-white lips; lemon balm doesn’t have such conspicuous flowers.

Summer truffle genuinely does grow here — limestone and oak trees suit it well. It’s also on the list of protected fungi, along with cep (king bolete) and Caesar’s mushroom. If you go mushroom-picking in the karst, bear that in mind.

What’s allowed and what isn’t

Specially protected species may not be picked, dug up, damaged, or have their seeds collected. This is set out under Act No. 114/1992 Coll., and in the Moravian Karst it applies to 65 plant species. Ignorance is no excuse, so the simple rule is: if you’re not sure what it is, leave it growing.

Within the national nature reserves, stick to the marked paths. There are four in the karst: Vývěry Punkvy (the Pustý žleb and Suchý žleb valleys with the Macocha Abyss), Býčí skála, Habrůvecká bučina, and Hádecká planinka. The national natural monument of Rudické propadání has an equally strict regime. Stepping off the path isn’t allowed at all there, let alone picking anything. A full overview of the rules is in the article on the rules in the Protected Landscape Area.

Common, unprotected plants may be picked in small quantities for personal use. In forests, this is permitted under the Forest Act (No. 289/1995 Coll.), which doesn’t prohibit picking forest produce for personal use. On private land outside the forest — a meadow or field margin, say — you need the landowner’s permission.

Don’t take the whole plant. For herbs, the stem and flower are enough — leave the root in the ground. Take no more than a fifth of what’s growing in any one spot, so it has a chance to recover.

This isn’t legal advice. If you’re planning to collect on a larger scale or commercially, ask the Moravian Karst Protected Landscape Area Administration in Blansko directly.

Where to go and look

Pustý žleb and Suchý žleb valleys — the richest corner of the whole karst. Yew trees, rare ferns, extensive stands of stag’s-horn clubmoss, and dog’s tooth violet. The marked path is easy walking, and motorbikes and cars are banned year-round. The route is described in the guide to Pustý žleb.

Říčka valley in the south of the karst — the warmest part. Pasque flower, white dictamnus (a white-flowered form grows here too), grass-leaved iris, and carpets of snowdrops in spring. The most botanically diverse site in the karst, and also the least visited.

Macocha slope above the abyss — steppe vegetation, dwarf iris, three-fingered saxifrage. Easily reached from the car park at Macocha.

Křtiny valley — snowdrops in spring, beech forests with orchids. More detail in the guide to the Křtiny valley.

Life in the karst isn’t just about plants. For the animals here, from bats to peregrine falcons, see the article Wildlife of the Moravian Karst, and for why limestone holds water like a sieve, and where to see sinkholes and swallow holes, see Karst phenomena of the Moravian Karst.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pick herbs for tea in the Moravian Karst? Common, unprotected species, yes — in quantities for personal use and outside the national nature reserves. Protected species, no — and there are 65 of them here.

How do I know if a plant is protected? The only reliable way is to check the official list. A practical rule of thumb for a day out: if a plant is striking, rare or beautiful enough that you feel like taking it home, there’s a good chance it’s protected. Orchids, irises, lilies, pasque flowers and snowdrops are all protected.

Where do orchids grow in the Moravian Karst? In lime-loving beech forests throughout the area. White helleborine is the most common, red and narrow-leaved helleborine are rarer, and the lady’s slipper orchid survives in just two populations at Vývěry Punkvy. They flower from roughly mid-May to June and grow right by the paths in places, so you don’t need to leave the trail to see them.

When’s the best time for a trip to see the flora? The second half of May. In April the orchids aren’t out yet, and by July the steppes have dried out.

Can I pick mushrooms in the karst? Yes, common species outside the reserves. Three fungi species here fall under protection, though: summer truffle, cep (king bolete), and Caesar’s mushroom.

Source for occurrence and population data: AOPK ČR, Rozbory předmětu ochrany CHKO Moravský kras (August 2017). Population figures change over time — treat the numbers as approximate.