Shumen Plateau Nature Park Shumen Plateau Nature Park The Shumen Plateau Nature Park () is located in the Shumen Plateau of the northern province of Shumen of Bulgaria, the highest plateau of the Danubian Plain. The Park encloses the Bukaka Reserve Forest, which is known for indigenous Fagus sylvatica "Fagus sylvatica" (common beech) "moesiaca" (the Balkan beech) forest. This Park was declared a National Park in 1980 and a Nature Park in 2003 to conserve its ecosystems and floral and faunal biodiversity, and to preserve its tableland landscape together with many tourist sites such as the Shumen fortress, the Monument to 1300 Years of
Dioscorea sylvatica Dioscorea sylvatica Dioscorea sylvatica ("forest elephants foot") is a species of a twining tuberous vine that is native to Africa. It is common and widespread in forest and thicket, throughout the summer rainfall areas of East and Southern Africa. It produces a distinctively flattened caudex, often with lobes that spread out. The creeping shoots grow throughout most of the year, though each will periodically die back and be replaced from the central caudex root stock. In dryer conditions it can become deciduous. The green creeping foliage can reach 4 meters or more in height. It is an extremely widespread and