Volumen 26 (2012): Heft 2012 (November 2012)

The paper presents the distribution of Orobanche species (parasitic herbs known as broomrapes) in the Małopolska Upland (Wyoyna Małopolska) in southern Poland. During floristic research conducted there in 1999-2011, 12 species of this genus were recorded: O. alba, O.alsatica, O .arenaria, O.bartlingii, O .caryophyllacea, O. coerulescens, O. elatior s.str., O. kochii, O. lutea, O. pallidiflora, O. picridis and O.ramosa. Eight species were not previously known from this area. Information on the hosts, abundance, and habitat preferences at the localities is given, and an updated map of the distribution in the Małopolska Upland is included. The taxonomic position of O. elatior s.str. and O.k ochii, diagnostic features to differentiate between them, and a revised map of distribution of both species in Poland are also presented.

The paper presents the current distribution of Orobanche alba subsp. major and subsp. alba in Poland, based on a critical revision of herbarium and literature data as well as results of my field studies. Most of their localities are in southeastern Poland: in the Małopolska Upland, Lublin Upland, Roztocze Hills, Polesie, Przemyśl Foothills (Pogórze Przemyskie), and Western Bieszczady Mts. These are the northernmost sites known for the species in Central Europe, so the new data extend its distribution range. Maps of distribution of both the subspecies in Poland and of subsp. major in Central Europe are included. Additionally, their seed micromorphology was compared using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The taxonomy, biology, and ecology of both the subspecies of O. alba are also discussed.

The paper presents the current distribution of Orobanche alsatica in Poland, based on a critical revision of her­barium and literature data and on my field studies conducted in 2006-2011. The recorded localities are mainly in Polish Uplands: the Lublin Upland (Wyżyna Lubelska), Roztocze, and Polesie, less frequently in the Małopolska Upland (Wyżyna Małopolska) and Silesia-Kraków Upland (Wyżyna Śląsko-Krakowska). Distribution maps of O. alsatica and other species of the series Alsaticae (O. bartlingii and O. mayeri) in Poland are included. Their taxonomy, biology, ecology, and habitat pref­erences are also discussed.

A new locality of Orobanche bohemica Čelak., one of the rarest representatives of the family Orobanchaceae in Central and South-Western Europe, is reported from Poland. This is the first confirmed record of the species in Poland. It is the easternmost site known for the species, so it extends its distribution range. The species was recorded in Zawiercie-Bzów in the Czȩstochowa Upland (Wyżyna Czȩstochowska) in July 2010. Its host, abundance, and habitat preferences at the new locality are described, and a supplemented map of its distribution in Europe and Poland is given. Its taxonomic position as well as some diagnostic features that distinguish O.bohemica from O.purpurea are also discussed.

Orobanche coerulescens has a Eurasian distribution. The species is classified as extinct at most of its localities at the western limit of its range. Its populations are very scarce and critically endangered in Central Europe. This work presents the current distribution of O.coerulescens in Poland, based on a critical revision of herbarium and literature data as well as results of original field research, and reviews its distribution in Central Europe (partly in Eastern Europe). Habitats, plant communities, and migration routes of O.coerulescens in Central Europe are discussed. The species was initially known in Poland from now historical localities in Pomerania and the valley of the lower Vistula. In 2000-2011 it was recorded at 9 localities in Podlasie, the Małopolska Upland (Wyżyna Małopolska), and the Łódź Hills (Wzniesienia Łódzkie). Its abundance at the localities ranged from a few to over 1000 shoots. These are the largest populations of O.coerulescens at its western and north-western range limits.

The paper presents the current distribution of Orobanche purpurea s. str. (excl. O. bohemica) in Poland, based on a critical revision of herbarium and literature data as well as results of my field research. Most of the records date back to the 19th or early 20th century and are now historical. Most of them lack also herbarium documentation. Since the 1950s the species has been found in 10 new localities, only partly documented by herbarium specimens. Currently it is present in only 4 localities, in valleys of the Lower Vistula and the Lower Oder (Odra) rivers and in the Silesian-Kraków Upland (Wyżyna alπsko-Krakowska). These are some of the northernmost sites known for the species, and the new data extend its continuous distribution range. A map of its distribution in Poland is included. The taxonomy, biology, and ecology of O.purpurea are also discussed.