Eleven plants of Asplenium platyneuron (ebony spleenwort) were found in disturbed serpentine woodland in south-central Slovakia (Central Europe). This find represents a new addition to the fern flora of Europe. It is probably the result of long-distance spore dispersal. The nearest known sites for this species are those in eastern North America, about 6500 km away. The important determination characters of A. platyneuron are described, the Slovakian locality characterized and an overview of the ecology and a map of the worldwide distribution of this species provided.
Until now, Dryopteris remota was only recorded in the Czech Republic from the Moravian Karst, ca 70 years ago. This record is mentioned in some studies, but references to the data’s origin have always been missing. For this reason it was uncertain whether D. remota was still present in the Czech Republic. Recently, the records from the Moravian Karst were verified by re-examination of original herbarium specimens. In 2002 a specimen of D. remota was found for the first time in Bohemia, close to the village of Ktiš, on a slope of Malý Plešný hill in the foothills of the Bohemian Forest (S Bohemia). At this locality only one plant occurred on the boundary between Lonicera nigra-shrub and spruce-beech-fir forest, on a gneiss outcrop. Determination of the Czech specimens of D. remota was based on comparisons with macro- and micromorphological characters of both Alpine (Upper Austria) and Carpathian (West Ukraine) specimens, as well as descriptions in the literature. A detailed morphological description and comparison with similar taxa are included. A map of its distribution within the Czech Republic as well as a map of the distribution of D. remota worldwide is also presented. It is suggested that D. remota be designated a critically endangered plant species in the Czech Republic.
The agamosporous and taxonomically critical Dryopteris affinis group was investigated as part of a cytogeographic and morphometric study of ferns in Central Europe. Material from 27 localities in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Austria was sampled and evaluated using both morphometric multivariate and karyological analyses. Chromosome counts and flow cytometric analyses revealed the existence of two distinct triploid taxa (2n = 123) of differing genome size, which correspond to D. borreri and D. cambrensis, and of a rare pentaploid hybrid (2n = 205) D. ×critica (D. borreri × D. filix-mas). Morphometric analyses confirmed a clear separation between both triploid taxa. New quantitative characters were selected based on a discriminant analyses, and a key for the identification of the species is presented.
Míčovka kulkonosná (Pilularia globulifera – Marsileaceae, Pteridophyta) je evropský endemit se zřetelným subatlantským rozšířením. V současné době je ohrožena a postupně vymírá na území celého svého areálu. Míčovka kulkonosná byla znovu objevena pro květenu České republiky po téměř 70 letech. Nová lokalita byla nalezena v roce 2007 na rybníce nedaleko Studené na úpatí Javořice na Českomoravské vrchovině (Ekrtová a kol. 2008). v Příspěvku jsou shrnuty poznatky o celkovém rozšíření druhu, rozšíření v ČR a ekologické nároky druhu. and Pilwort (Pilularia globulifera – Marsileaceae, Pteridophyta) is a European endemic species with subatlantic distribution. At present, it is endangered and is gradually becoming extinct in the whole area of its natural distribution. Pilwort has been rediscovered in the Czech Republic after almost 70 years. The new locality was found at the base of Javořice hill in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands in 2007. General information is presented on habitat, ecological preferences and distribution area.
A detailed cytogeographic and morphometric study of the Asplenium trichomanes group in the Czech Republic is presented. We detected diploid (2n = 72), tetraploid (2n = 144) and hybrid triploid plants (2n = 108). Based on the morphometric study, four intraspecific taxa are recognized. These taxa correspond to the four subspecies of A. trichomanes (A. t.subsp. trichomanes, <I.A. t. subsp. quadrivalens, A. t. subsp. pachyrachis and A. t. subsp. hastatum) distinguished in the floras of western, southern and northern Europe. Triploid plants were determined as A. t. nothosubsp. lusaticum (A. t. subsp. trichomanes × A. t. subsp. quadrivalens). The individual morphological characters used for determining subspecies are evaluated and a determination key presented.