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Ceratocephala testiculata (Crantz) Roth and further data to the flora of the foothills of Bükk Mts.('Bükkalja', NE Hungary)
81-142Views:238This paper reports new floristic data of 367 taxa (365 species and two hybrids) from the foothill region of Bükk Mts. ('Bükkalja', NE-Hungary) based on 5470 field collected data records. The data was collected between 1997–2014 and supplemented with herbaria (altogether 344 herbaria sheets). Data evaluation was based on the comprehensive Bükk Flora of András Vojtkó and further papers. Altogether 45 species were registered as previously unreported from the area, whereas three species had old data (Acer negundo, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Xanthium strumarium). Out of the newly registered species six native species inhabits natural habitats (Carex flacca, Ceratocephala testiculata, Glycerrhiza echinata, Gypsophila paniculata, Kochia laniflora, Marrubium vulgare), whereas five species represents the weed flora (Anthemis ruthenica, Chenopodium ficifolium, Eragrostis pilosa, Senecio vernalis, Xanthium strumarium). The majority of the newly observed species are adventives. Five species were also regarded as recent introduction regionally, although they are native in the country (mostly lowland species: Crypsis alopecuroides, Limonium gmelini subsp. hungaricum, Salsola kali, Scirpoides holoschoenus, Trifolium angulatum). Typical threats observed are landscape and habitat degradation by invasive alien species out of which 11 are newly added. Mass occurrences were detected for the following invasive alien species: Bidens frondosa, Impatiens glandulifera, Phytolacca esculenta, Xanthium italicum. 43 species are also registered, which did not have recently published data from the area. These species include more native elements representing different habitat preferences (dry grasslands, wet meadows, forest and weeds). In case of 65 species the unravelled new occurrences increased significantly, thus contributed to the clarification of their distribution pattern. It was found that the floristic data accumulated on a decade-scale are not sufficient for the analysis of floristic trends, but could serve as a good basis for surveying floristic gradients between the mountainous and lowland areas.
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The purple viper's bugloss (Echium plantagineum), a new adventive species for Hungary
199-206Views:898Following 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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A new alien species to the Hungarian flora: Polypogon viridis (Gouan) Breistr.
165–172Views:167Polypogon viridis (Gouan) Bresitr., a new alien species to the Hungarian flora, was detected between the years 2016–2019. Water bent (P. viridis), originating from the Mediterranean basin, was recorded from several plant nurseries and outdoor flowerpots in Transdanubia, Hungary. The new Hungarian records fit into the observed phenomenon that ornamental plant trade is an important factor in the spread of this species. Morphological characterization and insertion of P. viridis into the Hungarian identification key are also provided in this paper. Since P. viridis was represented in large numbers at some of the Hungarian localities, future monitoring of its spread may be important to evaluate the invasiveness of the species in the country.
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Spreading along the railways: morphology and invasion success of Vulpia ciliata in Hungary
145–156Views:524Vulpia 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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Two new adventive species from the Rubiaceae family in Hungary
286–296Views:197Two 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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Occurrences of sea lyme grass (Leymus arenarius) in the Kiskunság, Hungary
106-108Views:249We present six new occurrences of a rare non-native species, the sea lyme grass (Leymus arenarius (L.) Hochst.) in the Kiskunság region, Hungary. The populations grow in disturbed, secondary habitats (e.g., abandoned fields, recultivated landfills, surroundings of farms), but one of them begins to expand on the adjacent natural open sandy grassland. Most of the occurrences occupy several hundred square meters and in some cases it forms almost monodominant stands. We suppose that the species has the potential to become an invasive species in this inland sand region.
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Research on the distribution of woolly cup grass (Eriochloa villosa) in the northern part of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary
27–32Views:503Eriochloa villosa (Thunb.) Kunth was recorded for the first time in Hungary in 2007. Since then, the species spread intensively in the area and appeared at some other parts of Hungary. We carried out a research at the current distribution range of the species in the northern part of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county. We asked how big is the infested area surrounding the place of the first occurrence and whether other occurrences could be found in other parts of the investigated area. This article also gives a review on its known localities in Hungary and neighbouring areas. During the field research, 58 locations of the species were identified, it occurred mainly in ploughed and unploughed agricultural fields, and at some places in disturbed grasslands, too. It has spread on a large scale around the neighbouring areas of the first location found in 2007. Other locations were also found even at more distant places such as in the valley of the Sajó and Bódva rivers and in the Cserehát region. This means that further spread of Eriochloa villosa can be expected, especially in areas with an intensive agricultural activity, in disturbed grasslands, and a threat of its appearance is also suspected in open natural habitats.
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Cyperus odoratus in Hungary
157–164Views:331Eleven species of the genus Cyperus have been reported from Hungary so far, of which 3 are certainly aliens. A small population of C. odoratus, new for the flora of Hungary, was found along the River Danube near Foktő settlement (Bács-Kiskun County, S Hungary) in late autumn of 2019. On this occasion blooming specimens were observed in the floodplain ruderal vegetation on the bank of a fork of the Danube. This species is widespread in the tropical and subtropical regions of the World, and was first introduced to Europe in the early 1950s. More recently it has been spreading along certain rivers of Italy and Spain. It was discovered along the river Danube in Romania in the early 1990s, and later at the upper parts of the river in Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia. Its introduction into Hungary is connected with the Danube, too. Based on foreign experience, it is probable that C. odoratus will be spreading along the Hungarian Danube system, hopefully, not as an invasive species.
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Current distribution of the potentially invasive narrow-leaved ragwort (Senecio inaequidens DC.) in Hungary
179-187Views:285Our study presents the actual status of potentially invasive Senecio inaequidens in Hungary. Literary and herbarium data are also discussed. We report some new data from ruderal places and near highways which are unmarked until now. The actualized distributional map of the species are given. We sign the potential habitat threats too.
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The role of clothing in antropochorous seed dispersal
77-86Views:161Humans play an increasing role in seed dispersal. Through human help, seeds can bridge distances which otherwise would not be possible. The most important human-mediated dispersal types are: the spread on clothing, shoes and vehicles. The effect of these dispersal types can be combined in many cases. During dispersal with clothing, the seeds attach to cloths, but its probability depends on whether the seeds or other parts of the plant have morphological characteristics which make the attachment possible (e.g. hooks, hairs, spikes) and on the adhesion characteristics of the clothing (cotton/nylon, drill/cotton). This way, cloth-dispersal can be considered analogous to epizoochory. In our review, we evaluated the publications about human-mediated seed dispersal on cloths. In total we have found twelve experimental and field studies on the topic. So far, seeds of 449 species have been documented to be able to spread on clothing worldwide, out of the 449 species, 262 occur in Hungary. With future studies, these numbers will be increasing considerably. The average dispersal distance of the seeds was estimated between 150 and 5000 m, but the distance could be significantly increased, if means of transport are used during the dispersion. According to the results, the seeds of weed and invasive plants are dispersed most frequently on clothing (87% of all species, 26% of species occurring in Hungary). These cause serious damage worldwide. We emphasise that people should pay attention to the type of clothing, when they are visiting remote and unique nature reserves. For instance, waterrepellent foot wears could significantly reduce the adhesion of the seeds therefore it can prevent unintended seed dispersal. Further investigations are needed to find solutions to these problems, especially in regions with lack of these studies, such as in Europe, South America, Asia and Africa.
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Distribution of Campylopus introflexus (Hedw.) Brid. in Hungary
212-219Views:117Based 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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Rubus armeniacus Focke, an unnoticed invader in the Hungarian flora
220-228Views:115The 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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Contributions to the escaped, naturalised and potentially invasive species of the Hungarian adventive flora
111-156Views:609In this paper we compiled data on 157 Hungarian adventive plant species – of which 65 had not been reported from the country previously – from 47 settlements of Transdanubia and the Great Hungarian Plain. These taxa are rare, interesting or not included in the most recent list of the Hungarian neophyte species. The list includes data about many rare, occasionally escaping species (e.g. Lagurus ovatus, Salvia coccinea), taxa considered incapable of reproduction under the recent climatic conditions of the Pannonian Basin (e.g. Cupressus sempervirens, Punica granatum) or naturalised plants that may become invasive in the future (e.g. Celtis sinensis, Lonicera japonica). In the outlook we highlighted some special urban habitats (e.g. private and botanical gardens) and practices (e.g. public green space management) that endanger the native flora. We also describe their role in promoting the appearance and the expansion of alien plant species, and processes (e.g. laurophyllisation, spread of thermophile species) that will become increasingly common in the future as a result of climate change.
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Najas gracillima (A. Braun ex Engelmann) Magnus in Hungary
43-49Views:103Najas gracillima, an introduced species to Europe, naturally occurs in East-Asia and NorthAmerica. It was firstly discovered in Hungary in 2012 in our weed survey of rice fields in the vicinity of Szarvas, Gyomaendrőd and Mezőtúr. Although, it occurred in relatively high abundances in the rice fields along the Körös river its invasion is not expected into new habitats in the near future due to its special habitat preference and gregariousness.