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The Sea milkwort (Glaux maritima) in the Carpathian Basin
10-20Views:320Sea milkwort (Glaux maritima L.) is a broadly distributed species in the northern hemisphere, inhabiting primarily maritime habitats from the arctic to the temperate zones. It is also found inland in semi-arid and arid regions with saline soils. Its status in the Carpathian Basin has become very uncertain owing to the lack of known extant populations. To evaluate its current status, I review all known occurrences within the Carpathian Basin where this species has been recorded or collected, and report five new localities of the species in Hungary, all in the western part of the Great Hungarian Plain. I also analyze habitat relationships of the species using traditional phytosociological relevés. Review of species distribution data in the Carpathian Basin revealed that sea milkwort has undergone severe reduction in population number and disappeared from many localities. Currently, only a few populations can be found in this region: the Northern Carpathians in Slovakia and the western part of the Great Plain in Hungary. In Transylvania (Romania), only a single population has been reported recently suggesting the critical status of the species there. Features of the habitats confirm the halophytic nature of the species and its fidelity to wet saline meadows. Its common accompanying species are mostly broadly distributed, salt-tolerant plants. Heterogeneity of the samples in species composition suggests that sea milkwort is not a habitat-specialist species. Several of its common associates in Hungary are also found in sea milkwort habitats in Mongolia, Asia and Utah, North America. Based on the available evidence, sea milkwort shall be considered a severely threatened plant in the Carpathian Basin. Characteristics of the vegetation in its habitats do not explain its occurrence in mountainous environments.
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Oak-ash-elm forests in the Nyírség
179-220Views:144This paper presents phytosociological analyses of oak-ash-elm forests of Nyírség, NE Hungary. These climatically azonal forests grow in habitats where the soil is under the continual influence of the groundwater table, which maintains rather mesic conditions. They are particularly rich in Fagetalia elements (Actaea spicata, Allium ursinum, Anemone ranunculoides, Asarum europaeum, Athyrium filix-femina, Cardamine bulbifera, Carex pilosa, Cerastium sylvaticum, Chaerophyllum aromaticum, Corydalis cava, Dryopteris filix-mas, Epipactis helleborine agg., Euphorbia amygdaloides, Galeobdolon luteum, Galium odoratum, Hedera helix, Isopyrum thalictroides, Lathraea squamaria, Lathyrus vernus, Lilium martagon, Majanthemum bifolium, Mercurialis perennis, Milium effusum, Polygonatum multiflorum, Pulmonaria officinalis, Ranunculus cassubicus, Salvia glutinosa, Sanicula europaea, Scilla vindobonensis, Stachys sylvatica, Stellaria holostea etc.) typical in the submontane regions of this part of Europe. It is possible that they are remnants of the vegetation dominating the region under the less continental and more moist climate during the Beech phase (2500–800 BC) of the Holocene.
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Distribution and flora of areas with alkaline and saline soils in the Mezőföld, Hungary
39-61Views:221Areas with alkaline and saline (solonetz and solonchak) soils occupy substantial areas in the westernmost, Transdanubian part of the Great Hungarian Plain (Mezőföld). To this date, the flora and vegetation of only two localities have been studied in some detail, while the rest has remained largely unknown in this respect. In this paper, I provide brief descriptions of these little-known areas and present a list of halophytes with distribution data from the last 17 years. The names of the plants are followed by the name of the township and the geographical location where the plant was found, the code of the grid cell of the Central European Flora Survey grid that includes the location, and in selected species, the year when the species was first recorded. The list is arranged in alphabetical order irrespective of taxonomy. The occurrence data indicate that the floras of these saline-alkaline areas represent only subsets of, but in combination are almost identical to the overall flora of similar habitats in the Sárvíz plain.
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The flora of the Sárvíz plain (Mezőföld, Hungary)
207–226Views:319In this paper, I present chorological data on the plants growing on the alluvial plain of the Sárvíz river in eastern Transdanubia, Hungary. Species characteristic of reed and sedge marshes, salt lakes and alkali flats, as well as remnants of hardwood forests and mesoxeric grasslands are listed in the enumeration. Since 2004, I have confirmed the occurrence of 50 species previously not recorded in the study area. Here, I report the species names, followed by data on the locality: the name of the township, the geographical name of the locality, and the code(s) of both grid systems, the Central European Flora Mapping System (CEU) and the UTM. Sites where I observed or collected the species after 2004 are in bold. Names of species new to the study area are underlined.
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Remnants of closed oak woods on loess in the Mezőföld (Pulmonario mollis-Quercetum roboris Kevey 2008)
66–93Views:175The phytosociological characterization of closed oak forests occurring in the loess-covered part of Central Hungary (Mezőföld) is presented. Such forest fragments are found very sporadically in that predominantly treeless region, mostly in semi-dry habitats of north-facing hillsides. This plant community represents an intermediate stage between open steppe woodland (Aceri tatarici-Quercetum pubescentis-roboris) and closed mesic oak-hornbeam forests (Corydali cavae-Carpinetum). Analyses of 20 phytosociological samples using multivariate grouping methods (cluster analysis, principal coordinates analysis) showed a clear difference between these samples and samples of similar communities occurring in the area. In the species composition the characteristic elements of dry and mesic oak forests (Quercetea pubescentis-petraeae, Quercetalia cerridis, Aceri tatarici-Quercion and Fagetalia, respectively) played a major role. On the other hand, dry grassland species (Festuco-Brometea, Festucetalia valesiacae, Festucion rupicolae, etc.) were much less significant than in steppe woodlands. In terms of chorology, European and sub-Mediterranean floristic elements were dominant in the samples, while the proportion of continental elements was substantially smaller than that in steppe woodlands. As a result, our samples were identified with the plant association Pulmonario mollis-Quercetum roboris Kevey 2008, which is classified into the suballiance Polygonato latifolio-Quercenion roboris Kevey 2008 in the phytosociological system.
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Contributions to the Atlas Florae Hungariae XII.
77-84Views:490In this work, we report data supplementing the Distribution atlas of vascular plants of Hungary. Altogether 1325 data of 460 vascular plant taxa are reported as contributions to 149 quadrants in the Central European Flora Mapping grid system. The new stands of Phegopteris connectilis (NW foothills of the Vértes Hills), Sternbergia colchiciflora and Corydalis solida (Danube–Tisza Interfluve), Euphorbia angulata and Potentilla alba (Nyírség) are particularly noteworthy. In addition, new stands of numerous rare or scattered species are also listed: Allium paniculatum, A. sphaerocephalon, Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, Botrychium lunaria, Bulbocodium vernum, Clematis recta, Colchicum arenarium, Cyclamen purpurascens, Dianthus barbatus, Dictamnus albus, Doronicum hungaricum, Epipactis atrorubens, E. microphylla, E. tallosii, Equisetum hyemale, Hepatica nobilis, Hesperis sylvestris, Hordelymus europaeus, Iris aphylla subsp. hungarica, I. arenaria, I. sibirica, I. spuria, I. variegata, Jurinea mollis, Lilium martagon, Linaria biebersteinii, Linum flavum, Listera ovata, Lunaria rediviva, Lychnis coronaria, Melica altissima, Menyanthes trifoliata, Monotropa hypopithis, Muscari botryoides, Ophioglossum vulgatum, Orchis militaris, O. morio, O. purpurea, Ornithogalum brevistylum, Ornithogalum sphaerocarpum, Phlomis tuberosa, Primula veris, P. vulgaris, Pseudolysimachion incanum, Pulsatilla flavescens, Pyrola rotundifolia, Scilla vindobonensis, Scrophularia vernalis, Sedum urvillei subsp. hillebrandtii, Spiranthes spiralis, Stipa borysthenica, Stratiotes aloides, Thalictrum aquilegiifolium, Trollius europaeus, Veratrum album, Vinca herbacea, Vitis sylvestris, Wolffia arrhiza etc.