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The purple viper's bugloss (Echium plantagineum), a new adventive species for Hungary
199-206Views:841Following global trends, the number of newly established alien plant species is increasing in Hungary. Not only professional scientists but also citizens could contribute to the discovery and documentation of new occurrences. One of the first records of the purple viper’s bugloss (Echium plantagineum L.) in Hungary originate from an online group dealing with wild plant species identification. This species is native in Western Mediterranean countries, and is introduced to other continents. In Australia, it is a well-spread, largely problematic invasive species, and it might show similar tendencies in Hungary as well. In order to acquaint the wider public with this species, we present its morphology, phenology and other characteristics and provide a possible inlay in the Hungarian identification key.
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Rubus armeniacus Focke, an unnoticed invader in the Hungarian flora
220-228Views:99The authors report on the occurrence, distribution and invasion potential of Rubus armeniacus, a bramble species of Caucasian origin, in Hungary. The first verified records of the species are from the 1990s. It has established strong populations in ruderal habitats mainly around Budapest and some other cities, whereas its competiveness is rather weak in closed non-lowland forests rich in native bramble species. In terms of conservation, it constitutes a real threat to the vegetation of Pannonian sandy habitats. The results of this study also emphasize the importance of recognising "nonnative cryptic species" for ecology and conservation biology.
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A new alien species in Hungary: Limnobium laevigatum (Hydrocharitaceae)
9-15Views:245The South American Spongeplant (Limnobium laevigatum (Humb. & Bonpl. ex. Willd.) Heine) is a floating aquatic plant native to freshwater habitats of tropical and subtropical Central and South America. It is frequently used for ornamental purposes in ponds and aquariums, and became invasive in the recent decades around the world. It has a high reproductive potential and a high dispersal capacity as well. It can form massive floating mats causing light limitation and creating anoxic conditions in the underlying water column, which strongly reduces native animal and plant biomass and diversity. It can also hamper navigation and water flow in rivers and canals. It has been introduced to the United States, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. There is only one previous record in Europe (Belgium). This article is about the first record of Limnobium laevigatum in Hungary. I found two localities situated near Tata-Naszály and Dunaalmás (North-western part of Hungary). Both localities are fed by hot-water springs. It forms a small but dense population in Dunaalmás located near to the hot spring. The population in Tata-Naszály can be found in a 1.3 km long section of a stream, where it formed a sparse population in 2018.
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Escaping of Euphorbia myrsinites from cultivation in Eger (E Hungary)
253–256Views:149Euphorbia myrsinites L. (Euphorbiaceae) is a well-known ornamental plant with native distribution around the Mediterranean Basin, the Black Sea, the Caucasus region and Minor Asia. Its escape from cultivation and its naturalization in Western and Central Europe as well as in North America was reported in many cases. In Hungary, the casual escape of E. myrsinites has been documented more than fifty years ago and new observations were recently reported from different regions of the country. Here, I discuss a new record of the species from the town of Eger (E Hungary). The obtained data allow considering E. myrsinites as a locally naturalized species in the flora of Hungary. According to standardized criteria, the species may be able for local invasions too, but further observations are needed to accurately determine its present status in Hungary.
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Lactuca tatarica (Asteraceae), a new species for the Hungarian alien flora
170-178Views:133The first occurrence of blue lettuce (Lactuca tatarica (L.) C.A. Mey.) is reported from Hungary. Information on its taxonomy, morphology, distribution, habitat preference and nature conservation aspects is presented. The European local spread of this Eurasian and North American species started at the end of the 1800s. The first localities were reported from the shores of the Baltic and North Sea. Its alien occurrences in inland European regions have been noticed since the 1920s. As L. tatarica have previously been known from the neighbouring territories of Slovakia and Austria, its appearance in Hungary is not at all unexpected. However, the species was found (August 2018) in the southern part of Csongrád county, i.e. far away from the above-mentioned countries. Due to the species’ habitat preference (ruderal ground), ecological requirements and successful vegetative propagation, which correspond to foreign observations, its future spread is highly probable.
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Contributions to the Atlas Florae Hungariae II.
227-252Views:280The present article is the second part of the series aiming to contribute with new data to the distribution maps published recently in Atlas Florae Hungariae. Current occurrence data of 612 vascular plant taxa from 283 flora mapping quadrates (CEU) are presented. New records are distributed over the entire Hungary, however, most are localised in the North Hungarian Mts. Occurrence data of rare native taxa (e.g. Antennaria dioica, Bupleurum pachnospermum, Carex rostrata, Ceratocephala testiculata, Cicuta virosa, Cirsium boujartii, Epipactis moravica, Lycopsis arvensis, Parnassia palustris, Pyrus nivalis, Rumex kerneri, Rumex pulcher, Silene nemoralis, Stellaria alsine, Teucrium botrys, Vicia lutea), rare or data-deficient alien taxa (e.g. Nonea lutea, Panicum dichotomiflorum, Silybum marianum) as well as frequent but more or less underrepresented taxa (e.g. Eragrostis minor, Heliotropium europaeum, Saxifraga tridactylites) are also enumerated, since our intention was to fill the gaps in the Atlas. Remarcable contribution on the occupied territory of Ranunculus illyricus and Spergula pentandra in the Nyírség region (E Hungary), and on the Hungarian distribution of expanding alien weed Senecio vernalis are also presented.
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The biases of floristic surveys I. Naive planters: “cuckoo” of the Medves (N Hungary)
207-217Views:125The aim of the planned thematic studies is to point out the main biases and/or errors of floristic surveys in Hungary. In this first article of the series we focus on those examples when native species were planted out of their original habitats and/or range by a non-professional naturalist. The sources of information are those letters that were posted by Ferenc Varga to the first author of this article in 2005. The circumstances of the transplantation of 10 phytogeographycally significant species of the investigated area and/or the Pannonicum (Adonis vernalis, Arum orientale, Asarum europaeum, Genista germanica, Phragmites australis, Pulsatilla grandis, P. nigricans, Salvia aethiopis, Viola alba, Xeranthemum annuum) are detailed in the text and summarised in a table. The correspondence between the first author and Ferenc Varga provides insight how the ambition of a non-professional naturalist can influence the flora of an area. Most of the species were removed from South and transplanted to North, almost 10 km away from their original stands. With the exception of Adonis vernalis and Genista germanica at least one transplantation of the species was successful. In the case of Salvia aethiopis, the naturalized populations came 1.25 km close to Slovakia, where this species is a very rare and endangered (EN) taxon.
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Spreading along the railways: morphology and invasion success of Vulpia ciliata in Hungary
145–156Views:469Vulpia ciliata Dumort, a widespread species in the Mediterranean region, has been introduced in several European countries in recent decades, mainly along railways. The species was first discovered in Hungary at Szolnok railway station in May 2016, then a few days later at Keleti railway station in Budapest. In 2020 the species was found in several Transdanubian railway stations. Apparently, V. ciliata has recently been established in numerous parts of the country, probably spreading by railway transport. Until now, the species has only been found in the vicinity of regularly used tracks (in a distance of 20 m at the most). Being an invasive alien species, V. ciliata can displace the native Vulpia myuros in ruderal vegetation along railway lines. The species can easily be distinguished from V. myuros by its hairy lemma. Moreover, it flowers earlier than the other two indigenous species in Hungary, often already in late April. Based on the characteristics examined (number of nodes in the upper 2 cm zone of the rachis, number of fruits per spikelet, rate of fertile and sterile florets within the spikelet, lower and upper glume length, lemma and awn length separately, rachis width in the upper 2 cm zone) we have concluded that V. bromoides and V. myuros are less different from each other than V. ciliata from these two species. In the case of V. ciliata subsp. ciliata, we observed that spikelets (detached from the inflorescens) function as dispersal units. Therefore we assume that the observed low fertility rate within the spikelets, as well as the presence of marginal cilia on lemmas promote the spreading success of V. ciliata (spreading in clusters, anemochory, zoochory, anthropochory). Its early maturation (in May) can also facilitate its spread along railways, because the populations survive the chemical weed control usually carried out in late spring. The other two Hungarian species usually ripen later (in June). For the time being, the spread of V. ciliata outside the Hungarian railway network may be hindered by climatic conditions, or by the lack of seasonal weed control outside that network, which otherwise offers a relative survival advantage for V. ciliata along railway tracks.
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Contributions to the flora of Western-Transdanubia (W Hungary)
213-234Views:121In this paper, we presented the results of our floristic survey in West-Hungarian region. The data were collected between 2005 and 2015 and supportted with herbaria or photo-documentation. This paper reports new floristic data of 98 taxa from West-Hungary with altogether 172 field-collected data records. In the survey we focused on little-known taxa with a phyto-geographic importance. For some taxa we checked the herbarium specimens of Savaria Museum and Natural History Museum of Budapest. During our fieldwork we recorded 8 species new to W-Hungary, including 3 species considered to be native to the region [Oenanthe banatica Heuff., Koeleria pyramidata (Lam.) P. Beauv., Polycnemum majus A. Braun.]. Almost all of the recorded species are regarded as indigenous plants, many of them has nature conservation importance, thus, their monitoring are highly advised. We found new localities of many species which of high importance for plant geography describing their current distribution. Most of the recorded species occur in natural or semi-natural habitats, but some taxa were found in synanthropic habitats and extensive arable lands.
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Contributions to the Atlas Florae Hungariae VI.
87-102Views:225The current paper is the sixth one in the series aiming to contribute with new distribution data to the distribution maps published recently in Atlas Florae Hungariae. Current occurrence data of 389 vascular plant taxa from 117 flora mapping quadrates (CEU) are provided. New records are indicated from different regions of Hungary; however, most occurrences are located in the North Hungarian Mts and from the city of Szolnok and Western Hungary. Occurrence data of rare native taxa (including data of Equisetum fluviatile, Galium rivale, Gladiolus imbricatus, Hypericum maculatum, Persicaria bistorta, Potentilla inclinata, Ranunculus lingua, Rhinanthus rumelicus, Trifolium fragiferum subsp. bonannii, Viola pumila), rare or data-deficient alien taxa (e.g. Amaranthus blitum subsp. blitum, Cymbalaria muralis, Elymus elongatus, Euphorbia peplus, Heracleum sosnowskyi, Impatiens balfourii, Lepidium densiflorum, Rhus typhina, Telekia speciosa), as well as frequent but more or less underrepresented taxa (e.g. Carex otrubae, Chenopodium polyspermum, Crepis tectorum, Filipendula vulgaris, Petrorhagia prolifera, Poa palustris) are also enumerated. In case of the most common species we provided the CEU codes only.
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Contributions to the Atlas Florae Hungariae XII.
77-84Views:458In 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.
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Asparagus verticillatus L. in Hungary
38-43Views:151Climbing asparagus (Asparagus verticillatus L.) a new adventive species to the Hungarian flora was recently discovered in the city of Pécs (South Hungary) in 2011–2012. Taxonomy, morphological description and current localities of the species are presented in this paper. A. verticillatus is a mediterranean-submediterranean species native in Balkan Peninsula, Eastern Europe, Western- and Middle Asia. The species is a popular ornamental plant in Hungary, but no data was available about its escape or naturalisation in the country so far. Herbarium specimens from Hungary were collected so far mostly from botanical and private gardens; only one specimen was collected in a dry grassland along a roadside in the city, respectively. The newly discovered small populations are located mostly in secondary dry grasslands, at the edges of vineyards and private gardens on the southern slopes of the Mecsek Mts and only one specimen was found far from the residential area in natural vegetation. Because climbing asparagus is a frequently planted ornamental plant in several locations of Pécs, further escape, naturalisation and persistence of the species is possible in the future.
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Two new adventive species from the Rubiaceae family in Hungary
286–296Views:161Two alien species from the Rubiaceae family were recorded as new for Hungary in 2016. Phuopsis stylosa is a rarely used garden plant in Europe, originally occurs in south-west Asia. A small escaped and established stand was found in Csákánydoroszló village in Vas County (West Hungary). Also a small group of Galium murale was discovered in Budapest-Keleti Railway Station (Central Hungary). This species is originated from the Mediterranean and probably spreads by rail transport. Both species are represented in their habitats by small populations therefore their invasiveness can only be evaluated after several years' monitoring.
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Contributions to the Atlas Florae Hungariae X.
101–106Views:313This paper is the 10th in the series aiming to contribute with new distribution data to the maps published recently in Atlas Florae Hungariae. Distribution data of 686 plant species from 194 flora mapping units are published in this study, but all of them are listed in an electronic appendix. As a result of local surveys, more than 100 new species were found in a single flora mapping unit. Other “linear surveys” along the National Blue Trail revealed 142 new species in 10 flora mapping units in total. Among these, Carex strigosa is one of the most interesting taxa in the Bakony Mts. Previously published and new distribution data of this legally protected sedge species suggests that it is spreading from SW to NE within the Transdanubian Mts. Results from our survey shows that studying synanthropic habitats like frequently used hiking trails might provide a significant amount of new data points at the scale of Hungarian Flora mapping units. Moreover, similar studies might shed some light on the origins and migration routes (e.g. Illyrian and Dacian routes) of “native” species.
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Distribution of Campylopus introflexus (Hedw.) Brid. in Hungary
212-219Views:85Based on field work data collected in 2013–2014, the authors generated a map of the current distribution of Campylopus introflexus for Hungary. Besides the coordinates and geographic name of the localities, an estimated size of the population, the type of habitat and substrate, the co-occurring moss species and affected vegetation types were also recorded. Altogether, 18 stands were found in 8 geographical regions of Hungary, in some cases Campylopus introflexus was found to be a new species record for the moss flora of the respective region (e.g. Dunántúli-dombság, Nyugatmagyarországi peremvidék). In addition to the pine plantations from where it was detected formerly, the mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, the acidophilous oak woodlands and man-made habitats were found to be also proper habitats for this moss taxon. Earlier data mainly originated from pine deadwood, the recently discovered stands were found on acidic soil surfaces. The most important cooccurring moss species were the followings: Hypnum cupressiforme, Polytrichum piliferum, P. formosum, Pohlia nutans and Ceratodon purpureus. Campylopus introflexus had prominently high coverage in the acidophilous oak forests of the Mecsek Mts, where it occurs on acidic sandstone covered with a thin debris of the bedrock. This neophyte moss is widely distributed in Hungary, and has stable populations. Further expansion is expected in the subatlantic and submountain regions of the country, and in regions characterised by acidic soils and pine plantations.
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Floristic data from the northern edge of the floristic region ‘Crisicum’ (NE Hungary) II.: Borsodi-ártér és Sajó–Hernád-sík
169–186Views:378In this paper we provide new floristic data for 126 species and one hybrid from the Borsod Plain and the Sajó–Hernád Interfluve (Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northeast Hungary) observed between 2006 and 2019. A significant proportion of the data is related to gravel mining activities in the area. We present new localities for rare or sporadic native taxa in Hungary (e.g. Chenopodium murale, Ch. rubrum, Lycopsis arvensis, Chamaenerion dodonaei, Reseda luteola, Senecio viscosus, Gnaphalium luteoalbum, Cyperus glomeratus) as well as rare or sporadic adventive weeds (e.g. Lepidium densiflorum, L. virginicum). We publish additions to the distribution of several legally protected species (e.g. Pseudolysimachion longifolium, Nymphoides peltata, Epipactis tallosii, Leucanthemella serotina). Presence of some taxa is remarkable regarding to the flora of the whole area of Crisicum (Sherardia arvensis, Thymelaea passerina, Silene conica) or the Great Hungarian Plain (Monotropa hypopitys).
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Contributions to the Atlas Florae Hungariae IX.
253–256Views:291The current paper is the 9th in the series aiming to provide new data to the distribution maps of Atlas Florae Hungariae. Data of 734 vascular plant taxa (from 222 flora mapping quadrats) are presented in this study. The new localities are spread across nearly the entire country; however, most of the data are from the North Hungarian Mts, the northern part of the Danube-Tisza Interfluve, the southern edge of Hanság, alongside River Maros and the Hortobágy. Altogether, 1632 new data records are presented in this paper. The list mainly contains rare and locally important native species, as well as species with uncertain native/alien status (e.g. Allium ursinum, Chamaecytisus triflorus, Cotoneaster niger, Cyperus pannonicus, Elatine triandra, Eleocharis acicularis, Eleocharis ovata, Erodium hoefftianum, Geranium lucidum, Globularia punctata, Hippuris vulgaris, Hottonia palustris, Lindernia procumbens, Marrubium vulgare, Ononis pusilla, Orobanche bartlingii, Orobanche cernua, Pisum elatius, Polycnemum majus, Polygonum graminifolium, Ribes nigrum, Schoenoplectus triqueter, Verbascum ×denudatum, Verbascum ×vidavense, Viola canina subsp. schultzii). We report new localities of expanding alien species (e.g. Amaranthus deflexus, Artemisia annua, Euphorbia maculata, Helminthia echioides, Hordeum jubatum, Impatiens glandulifera, Ipomoea purpurea, Mahonia aquifolium, Panicum riparium, Robinia viscosa, Rudbeckia hirta, Veronica peregrina, Yucca filamentosa) and mention a few rare, successfully “surviving” alien plants with nature conservation value (e.g. Acorus calamus, Monochoria korsakowii). Moreover, occurrences of common plants are presented when new to the Atlas Floraea Hungariae (e.g. Bromus hordeaceus, Symphytum officinale, Vicia tetrasperma).
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Habitats and protected plants of Cuha-valley (Bakony Mts, W-Hungary)
80-88Views:66Floristic data were collected and habitat mapping was performed between 2009 and 2011 in the valley of Cuha-creek. During the field work occurrences of 423 vascular plant species (including 31 protected taxa) were recorded. Potentilla indica represents a previously unknown alien taxa of the study area. The dominant vegetation type of the Cuha-valley is beech forest. Further characteristic, important habitats are scree, ravine and hilltop forests. On the southern part of the valley – in close proximity of the Cuha-creek – expansion of several alien plants (Impatiens glandulifera, Fallopia spp., Heracleum mantegazzianum) were observed.
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Contributions to the Atlas Florae Hungariae III.
122-146Views:296The current paper is the third one in the series aiming to contribute with new distribution data to the distribution maps published recently in Atlas Florae Hungariae. Current occurrence data of 558 vascular plant taxa from 186 flora mapping quadrates (CEU) are presented. New records are indicated from different regions of Hungary; however, most occurrences are located in the North Hungarian Mts. Occurrence data of rare native taxa (e.g. Marsilea quadrifolia, Salicornia prostrata, Stellaria palustris, Potentilla patula, Althaea cannabina, Lythrum tribracteatum, Ajuga laxmannii, Plantago schwarzenbergiana, Alisma gramineum, Gagea bohemica, G. szovitsii), rare or data-deficient alien taxa (e.g. Chorispora tenella, Thladiantha dubia, Senecio vernalis) as well as frequent but more or less underrepresented taxa (e.g. Scleranthus annuus, Vicia hirsuta, V. lathyroides) are also enumerated. In case of the most common species we provided the CEU codes only.
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New data on the Hungarian adventive flora: Acer opalus Mill. subsp. obtusatum (Waldst. et Kit. ex Willd.) Gams 1925 in Hungary
229-238Views:58Acer opalus Miller 1768 because of its complex taxonomic status can be interpreted as a collective species which contains several species and subspecies depending on different interpretations. An important adventive occurrence from this collective species was found in a forest that belongs to the Tétényi plateau (Budapest, 11th district) in July of 2009. It is proved to be Acer opalus Mill. subsp. obtusatum (Waldst. et Kit. ex Wild.) Gams. The natural range of the subspecies covers the eastern side of the central Mediterranean Sea region and western Balkan Peninsula. It is a submediterranean-mediterranean, thermophile, shade-tolerant taxon but often appears together lightdemanding species too. In its native range it occurs in beech, pine, sessile oak forests and in different types of dry oak forests as admixed tree species. The subspecies was found in a turkey oak – sessile oak community in Hungary. Several old, seed growing individuals live on the spot which have had continuous seed production. Therefore from the old trees to the young seedlings different age categories are represented.
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Contributions to the flora of railway-side pioneer habitats on Tiszántúl region
86–101Views:400Verges have considerable importance to preserve diversity in arable landscape. The modernized railway embankments are a great surface to the spread of native pioneer or adventive (invasive) plant species. The new data are about the flora of railway embankments mainly from Tiszántúl region. I present some species found on railway verges (e.g. Equisetum ×moorei, Equisetum ramosissimum, Lycopsis arvensis, Euphorbia maculata, Lepidium densiflorum Tragus racemosus, Vulpia myuros). An especially important new data is the refinding of Galium humifusum in Hungary. Locally non-native and adventive species can use the blanketing materials (sand or gravel) of railway embankments as dispersal corridor and colonize them. The railwayside habitats could contribute to the conservation of rare native pioneer species.