In this paper, we deal with threatened and/or legally protected bryophytes found in the shady, forested valleys of the Mecsek Mountains, which are rare in national and/or local terms. Taxip­hyllum den­sifolium, a rare moss in Europe has stable colonies with sporophytes in two valleys. This study is the first to describe the spore characteristics of this species. The previously considered unique and legally pro­tected Rhynchostegiella teneriffae is nowadays so widespread in the Mecsek that it can no longer be consi­dered a vulnerable species (VU) in Hungary. We present the first population of the legally pro­tected Nec­kera pennata in Tolna county, and we also report on the recent, unusual occurren­ce of the data-deficient (DD) Fossombronia wondraczekii. We also list new populations of three other endangered (EN) species, Blindiadelphus recurvatus, Palustriella commutata and Porella arboris-vitae. Several vulnerable (VU) taxa such as Blepharostoma trichophyllum, Porella cordaeana, Sciuro-hypnum flotowianum, Seligeria pusilla, as well as new occurrences of near threatened (NT) mosses such as Mic­roeurhynchium pumilum (with sporophytes), Phaeoceros carolinianus are documented. In addition, the data on Rhynchostegium rotundi­folium in Jakab Mountain, which has not been recorded for more than 50 years, is confirmed. The difficul­ties of differentiating Hygroamblystegium species are briefly discus­sed.

The authors present the most important floristic data of Tolna and Baranya coun­ties, col­lected together or separately in the last 15 years, or observed by other data providers. In total, occur­rence data of 140 taxa are reported. Most of them are protected species in Hungary, but the list also includes rarer weeds (Ado­nis flammea, Althaea cannabina, Aphanes arvensis, Bunias orientalis, Legousia speculum-veneris, Vicia lutea) and adventive species (Helminthia echioides, Oxybaphus nyctagineus, Rubia tinctorum). Several species of phytogeographical importance were also found in the forest-steppe vegetation of the loess areas studied. Occurrence of Linaria biebersteinii should be highlighted. L. biebersteinii is a very rare species in the Transda­nubian region, and is no longer found in Europe west of this region. The occurrence of Himantoglossum adriaticum is a new contribution to the flora of the southern Transdanubian region.

Here we evaluate the phytosociological characteristics of the turkey oak forests on sand (Fraxino orno-Quercetum cerridis) found at the northern foothills of the Vértes Hills, Hungary. Using the traditional Braun-Blanquet method, 20 vegetation samples were collected and compared with turkey oak forests growing in similar ecological situations in other parts of the country. The traditional and multivariate analyses showed that our samples were quite different from the compared forests, and only the forests in the Bakonyalja and the Pilis Mts showed some similarity with the compared forests. Our samples had the lowest proportion of Quercetea pubescentis-petraeae species among the compared forests, and the highest proportion of specialists (Corydalis pumila, Daphne laureola, Doronicum hungaricum, Lychnis coronaria, Physocaulis nodosus, Primula veris, Scutellaria columnae, Sorbus domestica and Veratrum nigrum). The samples were well separated from the compared forests and formed a distinct group.