Botanically speaking, south mountain ranges of Papuk - Pliš and Mališčak, are the most interested area of the Park of Nature Papuk. The locality is bordered with streams Veličanka and Stražemanka, on the shallow soils, with numerous sub-Mediterranean plants. In the sheer paths, reefs and peaks, on the 350 to 600 m above sea level, there are dolomite rocks. In this area which is always exposed to the sun and without much moisture, grow forest of pubescent oak, and black ash-tree, with some individual trees hornbeam, chestnut, beech, and Austrian pine. Due to the evident decline of ground and thick bushes, the terrain is partially pathless, and in between the bushes, there are oases of rocky ground. Exposure to the sun, shallow soil, and hard approachability in the most dry terrains, enabled conditions for survival of rare and interested flora of the Park of Nature. In the Pliš and Mališčak there is a majority of protected flora species in Papuk.

Leopard's Bane
Doronicum orientale Hoffm.
(syn. D. caucasicum Bieb.)
Family- A s t e r a c e a e (=C o m p o s i t a e)

Leopard's bane is an herbaceous perennial with underground rootstalk and underground dendriform runners. The stalk is 20 to 60 cm high, vertical, and near the ground covered with wool-like hair. The leaves near the ground are on long leaf stalk, heart shaped and widely scored. In adequate habitats, they are very thick on the ground. On a stalk, there are 1 to 2 elliptical and heart shaped leaves that go around the stalk. The calix leaves are on the edges with cilia, and are shorter then the radiate floret. There is usually only one flower on the stalk, whose diameter is 4 to 6 cm. The radiate floret ends with 2 to 3 uneven tooth. The flowers are yellow. All parts of a plan are poisonous. The plant multiplies by product (called roške), but in more cases vegetative, by underground dendriform runners. It grows in the mountain and hill forests, usually in the rocky surface, and among bushes. The number decreases due to cutting forest and bushes, and because of picking it in its natural habitats. This plant is protected from June 10, 1958, by the Law about protection of nature in all its natural habitats.

Rose Daphne
Daphne cneorum L.
Family - T h y m e l a e a c e a e

Rose Daphne is an evergreen low-growing shrub between 10 and 40 cm high. The branchlets are rather long, strait or little bended, thin and smooth. The leaves are halberd shaped, sitting and have a dark green colour. There are 5 to 10 flowers clustered on the ends of the branches. Flowers are mostly red, and rarely white, of a very pleasant smell. The fruit is a yellowish brown drupe. It grows in the dry habitats, likes soils high in calcium, rocky ground, or hill meadows. The species is rare and endangered due to cutting of decorative flowers. It is protected since April 16, 1952.

Cowslip
Primula veris Huds.
Family - P r i m u l a c e a e

Cowslip lasts several years. Has a short root. The leaves lie nearly flat on the ground in a rosette. They are thick, oval, or round, from the centre gradually or at once, transforming into stalk. From the rosette rises a long stalk (up to 20 cm). The flowers are big, symmetrical, and yellow, on the top form an umbel. This species grow in the humus soils, often among rocks, in the sunny meadows, hills with bushes, and at the edges of mountain or hill forests. As other spring flowers, it is decorative, and therefore picked, and needs to be protected.

Roundheaded Rampion
Phyteuma orbiculare L.
Family - C a m p a n u l a c e a e

Roundheaded rampion is an herbaceous perennial, height between 10 and 50 cm, with a succulent and sappy root. The stalk is simple, bare and carries one or more spherical head with flowers. The leaves are bare, elliptical or halbered shaped, on the edges mostly scalloped. Ground and middle leaves are on stalks, while upper ones are sitting. The corolla is cylindrical and pipe shaped, elongated and shaped like a sickle, lightly bended, separated into 5 slices of a dark purple colour. The 15 to 30 flowers are joined in spherical head. The flower grows in the rocky meadows, and afore-plains lawns, in the cracks of the rocks, in mountain and afore-mountain areas.

Buring Bush
Dictamnus albus L.
Family - R u t a c e a e

This plant lasts several years. It has a cylindrical, ramified, white rootstalk, from which more stalks can grow. The entire plant smells like lemon or cinnamon due to the ethereal oils. The stalk is more or less hairy, in upper parts with black glands. Ground leaves on stalk are sitting, while upper have stalks and are feather like odd to 7 or 9 small leaves, from above leather like and dark green. The flowers are big, pink, and joined into vertical recemose inflorescence. Burining bush grows mostly in forests and bushes of oak 'medunac' (Quercus pubescens), in arid, loose, slightly to moderately acid humouis soils. It usually grows in the calcareous surface.