László Almádi, the 80 years old professor at the Georgikon Faculty of Keszthely University, has a several decades long history in teaching. During this period, he taught a large number of students in agriculture with an up-to-date agrobotanical knowledge, and launched the career of or had a great impact on many field botanists working in nature conservation. His ability to identify plants is excellent, and he did pass this knowledge on. Besides his huge fascination for plants, his precision, broad and well-founded knowledge serve exemplary for us. Professor Almádi’s rich life is presented in this tribute paper based on his personal stories and written publications, and is supplemented with our own memories, experiences. We cordially greet our Professor on the occasion of his birthday!

A checklist of 115 lichen taxa was compiled from the Mecsek Mts, based on floristical records of 221 old or recently collected herbarium specimens (incl. 37 duplicates) deposited in the JPU herbarium (Pécs, Hungary). The occurrence of 22 taxa are new for the Mecsek Mts: Arthopyrenia cinereopruinosa, Baeomyces rufus, Candelariella reflexa, Catapyrenium rufescens, Cladonia macilenta, Dimerella pineti, Hypogymnia tubulosa, Ochrolechia arborea, Pleurosticta acetabulum, Pseudevernia furfuracea, Psilolechia lucida, Pycnothelia papillaria, Rinodina sophodes, Tomasellia arthonioides, Toninia candida, Trapelia involuta, Varicellaria hemisphaerica, Verrucaria marmorea, V. nigrescens, V. parmigera, Xanthoparmelia conspersa, X. verruculifera. One legally protected lichen species (Peltigera leucophlebia) is also represented by two specimens.

A small population of Epipactis pseudopurpurata new to the flora of Hungary was found in the Buda Mts, near Telki village (Pest county). The main diagnostic features of this species are discussed, and a comparison with the allied species, E. purpurata is provided.

New and recently confirmed localities of 52 rare taxa (including 26 orchids) are presented from the vicinity of Budapest. Epipactis peitzii is a new species for the Hungarian flora; it has been recorded in the Buda and Pilis Mts. This species and its closest relatives (E. leptochila group) are briefly discussed. Other records are new for the flora of particular regions, specifically: Buda Mts: Corydalis intermedia, Epipactis leptochila, Epipactis muelleri; Pilis Mts: Anacamptis coriophora, Epipactis neglecta, E. tallosii, Valerianella pumila; Visegrád Mts: Epipactis futakii, E. leptochila, E. muelleri, E. neglecta, Ophrys apifera, O. holubyana.

Orchis mascula subsp. signifera is a rare, legally protected and endangered species of the Hungarian flora. Currently it is recorded from 25 flora mapping grid cell in Hungary. The westernmost Hungarian occurrence of the species was documented by a voucher collected by Dénes Gotthárd in 1976. After four decades the occurrence of O. mascula in the Keszthely Mts was confirmed in 2015. The local habitat preference and major threats to the taxon are briefly discussed.

Although Mt Somsich is very rich in natural values, it is still a poorly-known part of the Villány Mts. Apart from a few scattered floristic data and a short habitat description, its vegetation is virtually unexplored. The aim of this paper is to characterize the natural and semi-natural habitats of Mt Somsich, give the current population sizes of the protected plant species, survey their threats, and offer suggestions for further conservation activities. Disregarding the totally artificial habitats, five habitat types were distinguished on Mt Somsich, of which the pubescent oak scrub is the most valuable. A total of 15 protected plant species have been reported so far, of which 11 are currently recorded on Mt Somsich. The local wildlife is affected by loss and fragmentation of habitats as well as illegal activities. The negative influences cannot be fully eliminated, but could be minimized.

The Nyárjas Lake (located near Kállósemjén, East Hungary) was one of the most typical bogs in the Nyírség until the early 1980’s. Most of its area was covered by the association of Carici-Menyanthetum. The number of species characteristic to the mentioned association was generally high. As the climate became drier, hotter and were characterised by higher magnitude of extremities, the water coverage became no longer as permanent. This resulted that the Menyanthes trifoliata and Listera ovata became extinct by 2000. Lemno-Potamea species were not found after 2010. Bidentetalia, Calystegietalia, Chenopodietea and Secalietea species became more prevalent, particularly in drier periods, and locations where Carici-Menyanthetum used to be characteristic. Cirsium arvense in the mid-1990’s and that of Urtica dioica in the mid-2010’s became dramatically abundant. Both the number and coverage of species indicating habitat degradation have increased. The composition of wet meadow plant associations shifted towards the drier Arrhenatheretea. A moderate revitalisation of wetland associations was, however, observed coinciding years with higher precipitation.

Forests of the Tisza floodplain in the northwestern part of Hungary include white willow riparian forests (Leucojo aestivi-Salicetum albae) that are phytosociologically little studied. This study summarizes the characteristics of this community based on 25 phytosociological relevés. These forests grow mostly on mud and raw alluvial soil in the low-lying parts of the lower terraces of the floodplain. They are easily separated by their species composition and underdeveloped shrub layer from white poplar gallery forests (Senecioni sarracenici-Populetum albae)., which grow on higher lying ground with rather light sandy soil and typically possess a pronounced shrub layer. The understory of their stands may often host plants  that are rare or completely absent in other parts of the country, such as Cardamine amara, Cardamine flexuosa, Cardaminopsis arenosa, Carex pseudocyperus, Carex remota, Chrysosplenium alternifolium, Leucanthemella serotina, Leucojum aestivum, Oenanthe banatica, Scrophularia scopolii, Telekia speciosa, Vitis sylvestris. This community is classified in the „Salicenion albae-fragilis Kevey 2008” suballiance.

The main aim of the present work is to contribute with new data to the distribution maps published recently in Atlas Florae Hungariae. Occurrence data of 297 vascular plant taxa from 247 flora mapping quarter quadrates (CEU) are presented. This floristic paper is somehow unusual because besides the occurrence data of rare or sporadic taxa (e.g. Armoracia macrocarpa (Waldst. et Kit.) Kit. ex Baumg., Samolus valerandi L., Epipactis voethii Robatsch), frequent, but more or less underrepresented taxa (e.g. Ranunculus ficaria L., Viola kitaibeliana Roem. et Schult., Gagea villosa (M. Bieb.) Duby), as well as alien taxa (e.g. Cymbalaria muralis G. Gaertn., B. Mey. et Scherb., Potentilla indica (Andrews) Focke, Tragus racemosus (L.) All.) are also enumerated, since our intention was to fill the – sometimes evident – gaps in the Atlas.  The name initials of the author(s) who actually found the given occurrence are presented in brackets at each record.

Soil seed bank has an important role in maintaining plant populations and communities, in regeneration processes, and also provides information about the history of the studied site, the past land use practices, the biotic and abiotic changes and about the current degradation degree. In Hungary there are many researchers related to the seed bank, but from the last few years we do not have a comprehensive work about the results of these works. My goal is to report on the results of former seed bank researches in Hungary and also to highlight the missing topics and further research opportunities. The review is based on 49 articles, the oldest one dates back to 1922, the newest one was published in 2015. Most of the studies use greenhouse or laboratory germination tests to determine the viability of seeds. The earliest studies, which examined the weed seed bank of farmland soils found, that the seed bank was much higher than the total seed bank found on natural and semi-natural habitats studied later. Researchers found the lowest seed bank density in forests. Disturbed sites and former agricultural sites had higher seed bank densities than sites without agricultural use. Most part of seed bank was located in the upper soil layer in all studied communities. In most studies usually a small similarity was detected between the composition of soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation, which suggests that the seed bank has a subordinate role in regeneration processes. Seed bank type classification is lacking from the three-quarter of Hungarian flora species, despite that it is essential for protecting species and communities and for developing proper protection against invasive and alien species.

Several studies found that waterfowl are important endozoochorous dispersal vectors for plant species. Germination of the seed content of their droppings provides valuable information on their diet and also on their role in seed dispersal. Our aim was to analyse the seed dispersal potential of the critically endangered habitat-specialist Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus) in their autumn and spring staging areas in Hortobágy National Park. The study was supported by the LIFE10-NAT/GR/000638 project. We also studied the seed dispersal potential of larger generalist goose species foraging in the same areas, such as Greater White-Fronted Goose (Anser albifrons Scopoli) and Greylag Goose (Anser anser L.). We asked the following questions: (i) Which habitat types are the most frequently used by Lesser White-fronted Goose and larger goose species? (ii) Is the different habitat preference of Lesser White-fronted Goose and larger goose species reflected in the seed content of their droppings? (iii) Are there seasonal differences between the seed content of spring and autumn droppings? We identified the most frequently used feeding habitats. We collected 40 droppings of Lesser White-fronted Goose and larger goose species per site in April and October 2012, in total we collected 720 droppings per species. Droppings were concentrated and spread on trays filled with sterilised potting soil. Samples were germinated in a greenhouse from April to November 2013. In total we germinated 21 plant species from the goose droppings, which suggests that goose species play an important role in seed dispersal. We found that Lesser White-fronted Goose dispersed more species typical to alkali habitats, and fewer weeds compared to larger goose species. Lesser White-fronted Goose and larger goose species used a wide range of feeding habitats, thus, they play an important role in dispersing seeds between habitats along a moisture gradient. Total species number and species number of plant functional groups were higher in autumn droppings. Seed content of the droppings suggests that Lesser White-fronted Goose is confined to natural habitats, thus for the effective protection of this critically endangered species it is crucial to preserve its natural feeding habitats.

While science-based education is widespread for macroscopic flora and fauna, the microscopic world has received much less attention. In 2015, having the aim of establishing a tradition, the Phycological Forum announced its first “Alga of the Year” in form of an online voting. The three candidates of algae were Didymosphenia geminata, Haematococcus pluvialis and Prymnesium parvum, from which the Haematococcus pluvialis received the overwhelming majority of votes. Introducing the ecological and economical aspects and distribution of the candidate taxa in Hungary, we aimed at to stress that there is a high educational potential of microscopic life. Furthermore, our study draws the attention to the fundamental role of algae in aquatic ecosystems, stressing their importance in maintaining life.

1. Occurrences and habitats of Oxytropis pilosa (L.) DC. near Kunbaracs village and on other grassland sites of Peszéradacs meadows (Kiskunság)

2. Acer acuminatilobum (J. Papp) J. Papp 1958 (Mátra-ancient maple) in Mátraalja

3. Occurrence of Euphorbia prostrata Aiton and Polycarpon tetraphyllum L. in West-Transdanubia (W Hungary)

4. Muscari tenuiflorum Tausch in Keszthely Mt (Hungary, Transdanubia)

5. Occurrence of Dasineura urticae (Perris, 1840) on Urtica kioviensis Rogow. in Hungary

6. New occurrences of Trifolium vesiculosum Savi in the Hortobágy region (E Hungary)

Erdős László (2015): Zöld hősök. A környezeti mozgalmak kiemelkedő alakjai Assisi Szent Ferenctől Arnold Schwarzeneggerig. – CSER Kiadó, Budapest, 263 pp.

Bartha Dénes et al. (2015): Magyarország edényes növényfajainak elterjedési atlasza. – Nyugat-magyarországi Egyetem Kiadó, Sopron, 330 pp.