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Flowering phenology and distribution pattern of Lizard Orchids (Himantoglossum)
157-167Views:121Hybridization is very rare between the species of Himatoglossum genus, despite the fact that it is common in other orchid genera. The reasons for this can be the lack of overlapping distribution areas or the different flowering period of the species. In the paper distribution and flowering data of Himantoglossum species are presented from herbarium sheets or references (sources paper-based or internet). We collected 1001 precisely dated flowering records of 12 species. In case of 6 species (H. adriaticum, H. caprinum, H. comperianum, H. hircinum, H. jankae, H. robertianum) we had sufficient records to calculate the average flowering day and blooming length. According to the collected data the distribution of the species are overlapping except for H. formosum, H. galilaeum and H. metlesicsianum. Studying 55 species pairs, insignificant differences in blooming time were only at 21 species pairs, among them only 5 (H. comperianum - H. caprinum, H. montis-tauri - H. comperianum, H. hircinum - H. adriaticum, H. montis-tauri - H. caprinum és H. jankae - H. calcaratum) have overlapping distribution area. Data on hybridization could be found only at three species pairs among them. From the results we can conclude that in the case of Himantoglossum genus the rarity of hybridization is mostly due to the phenological isolation.
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Land-use history of a habitat of fritillaries (Fritillaria meleagris L.) in W Hungary
25–30Views:124In Hungary, Fritillaria meleagris is known as a species of riparian woodlands however it forms large populations on meadows appeared after woodland clearance too. We monitored one such population on the floodplain of the small river Zala in Western Hungary near Tüskeszentpéter. To explore the history of land use on this site we used the maps of Military Surveys of Hungary, aerial photographs and archive documents (1720–2016). The first written records of the settlement (Tüskeszentpéter) built in a meander of the river Zala are dated to 1301. By 1784, the studied area was covered by wet meadows and only small fragments of forests, as it could be seen on old maps. That time the main livelihood was animal husbandry which required a lot of hay to be stored for winter. These floodplain hay meadows were very productive. Between 1895 and 1930, after the regulation of river Zala flow most of meadows were transferred into arable fields. Small-scale farming almost disappeared by 1960s because of ‘collectivization’. Big hay-cut machinery started to be used and this way of land farming can be seen on the meadows nowadays too. Fritillary populations occur only in areas which have been continuously managed as hay meadows for 300 years. Over six years of observations (2012–2017) the number of annually flowering Fritillaria individuals varied from 630 to 5314. As traditional animal husbandry is no longer economical in Hungary, the maintenance of these historic floodplain meadows depends on different nature conservation supports.
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Hybrid leopard’s bane (Doronicum ×sopianae) in the West-Mecsek Mts (SW Hungary)
251–252Views:265The hybrid of leopard’s bane (Doronicum orientale Hoffm.) and the Hungarian leopard’s bane (Doronicum hugaricum (Sadler) Rchb.f.) was discovered by Tamás Nendtvich in the Mecsek Mts over Pécs in the 1820’s. During the past two centuries several researchers confirmed the occurrence of this plant in the region. The occurrences of the hybrid ever known are concentrated in a relatively limited range, and the single currently known occurrence is on “Zsuppon-parlag”. In this paper, I report a new occurrence, found on 16th April 2020, close to the village of Kővágószőlős, which is 8 km away from the single currently known locality. I found only one flowering specimen, as well as five vegetative individuals with leaf rosettes. The parental species grew only 50 cm away from each other. Here, I provide a detailed morphological description about the flowering individual, and a vegetation relevé of the accompanying species in a 10×10 m quadrat around the hybrid plant.
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New occurrence of Myricaria germanica in a Hungarian gravel pit
60–63Views:232This paper reports the second Hungarian synanthropic occurrence of the rare Myricaria germanica. One flowering individual was found in a gravel pit near Hejőpapi (NE Hungary). The closest known population of the species is 60 km far from newly found locality. This occurrence indicates effectivness of anemochory. It seems, that abandoned gravel pits may be potential habitats of this threataned shub species.
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Results of the Vincetoxicum pannonicum population survey (2001–2019)
9–18Views:1016The Pannonian swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum pannonicum (Borhidi) Holub) is endemic to the Pannonian biogeographical region, occurring only in the Buda and Villány Mts in Hungary. Current distribution and population size of this rare plant species is surveyed. The species is recorded from the following localities: Budajenő: Községi erdő, Budaörs: Szekrényes, Kő-hegy, Odvas-hegy, Szállás-hegy, Út-hegy, Páty: Fekete-hegyek; Nagyharsány: Szársomlyó. According to our research, the total number of individuals is around 3550. The largest populations were found at Községi erdő (Budajenő), Szállás-hegy (Budaörs) and Fekete-hegyek (Páty). In the Villány Hills (Mt Szársomlyó) ca 50 specimens were counted. The peak flowering period of Vincetoxicum pannonicum was observed between 20th and 29th of May.
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Occurrence and habitat conditions of Gagea minima along the Sorok stream (W Hungary)
189–194Views:207Gagea minima (L.) Ker Gawl. is a Eurasian bulbous species. It occurs sporadically in Hungary, but so far only one current occurrence is known from the Western Transdanubia. In recent years, a large metapopulation has been found in a 15 km long section of the Sorok stream. Its habitat is the high sandy bank above the stream, where it lives mostly in nitrophilous vegetation under non-native tree species. Its long-term persistence in this secondary habitat may have been facilitated by its bulbs, which may have been regularly dispersed by periodic disturbance. Myrmecochory may also have played a role in the local establishment of subpopulations. A number of recently found populations indicate that data on the distribution of the species is still incomplete. The lack of data is probably due to its short flowering period and relative inconspicuousness. Gagea minima is considered a valuable relict species in the altered environment of the Sorok stream and its surroundings.
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Data on the distribution of some protected plant species and on their presence in secondary habitats
183-199Views:1828In this paper, I publish my floristic data on some protected and strictly protected plant species collected in Hungary between 2016 and 2021. The data published in this paper cover 31 micro regions of Hungary, but most of them come from the Great Hungarian Plain, especially from Pest and Bács-Kiskun counties. I describe the occurrences of 41 protected and three strictly protected vascular plant species (two ferns and 42 flowering plants), some of which represent new data for the particular micro region or even larger geographical areas (e.g. Botrychium matricariifolium, Thlaspi alliaceum and Nasturtium officinale). For some species, the published data either come from floristically understudied areas (e.g. Ranunculus illyricus, Vinca herbacea and Cardamine amara) or are considered rare in the certain region and/or in the whole country (e.g. Apium repens, Cnidium dubium and Vicia narbonensis). For other species, the newly reported occurrences are presented as complement to the already known distribution data (e.g. Cephalanthera damasonium, C. rubra, Linaria biebersteinii, Sonchus palustris and Agrostemma githago). In support of the nature conservation actions, I provide data from the flora of some floristically understudied micro regions (e.g. Dorozsma-Majsai Sand Ridge, Bácskai Loess Plain) and try to highlight the role of canals in Hungary in species and biodiversity conservation, by the example of the Danube-Tisza canal. In this manuscript, I publish data on twelve protected plant species from the Danube-Tisza canal and its canal bank (eg. Peucedanum palustre, Carex paniculata, Clematis integrifolia).