Volume 15 (2016): Issue 1 (June 2016)

A new class and a new order (Drabo corymbosae-Papaveretea dahliani and Saxifrago oppositifoliae-Papaveretalia dahliani) have been described, and the Papaverion dahliani validated. This is vegetation of zonal habitats in lowlands of the High Arctic subzone A (or Arctic herb, cushion forb or polar desert subzone) and of ecologically equivalent sites at high altitudes on the mountain plateaus of the High Arctic. The new class spans three continents – North America (Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Greenland), Europe (parts of Svalbard and Franz Josef Land), and Asia, including northern regions of Chelyuskin Peninsula (Taymir Peninsula), Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago and De Longa Islands.

In this paper we present nomenclatural adjustments and validations of syntaxa of the forest vegetation of Europe. We introduce a new, valid name of the class of nemoral coniferous or mixed forests (Asaro europaei-Abietetea sibiricae) replacing the deciduous Carpino-Fagetea in the easternmost Europe and Siberia. We describe two new orders for birch and birch-poplar woodlands, formerly included in the Betulo pendulae-Populetalia tremulae. We validate the names of two alliances for the deciduous forests of the Southern Urals and the name of an alliance for hemiboreal forest swamps. The suballiance Ostryo-Tilienion, coined to accommodate the xerothermophilous ravine forests of SE Europe, is here elevated to the rank of alliance. Finally, we validate the name Quercion alnifoliae (evergreen oak forests of Cyprus).

The paper describes the Tamaricion dalmaticae alliance and the Tamaricetum dalmaticae association, a new syntaxa localized under the saline or sub-halophilous conditions within the thermo-mediterranean and meso-mediterranean belts of the eastern Adriatic coast. The Tamaricion dalmaticae alliance is considered analogous to the Western Mediterranean Tamaricion africanae. The Tamaricetum dalmaticae association shows the high ecological amplitude of in terms of moisture. It develops on sandy soils only periodically inundated with sea or brackish waters, as well as on non-flooded areas in south Croatia, Montenegro and NW Albania. In Croatia, Tamaricetum dalmaticae has connections with the halophyte communities of the Sarcocornietea fruticosae and Ammophiletea classes, and the xerophilous ruderal communities of the Artemisietea vulgaris class. The habitats are exposed to disturbances and fragmentation.

On very steep dolomite slopes in the western foothills of the Kamnik Alps (Ravni hrib, Javorov vrh, Zaplata, Kriška gora) and southwestern Karavanke Mountains (Dobrča) we conducted a phytosociological study into montane grasslands (former hay meadows, partly pastures) where Gladiolus palustris, a species of European conservation concern, also occasionally occurs. They were compared with similar montane grasslands (former hay meadows) on sunny slopes of the Stol ridge above Breginj in the southwestern foothills of the Julian Alps. Based on this comparison we described three new syntaxa: Centaureo julici-Laserpitietum sileris gladioletosum palustris, Festuco amethystinae-Seslerietum calcariae and Pediculari julici-Bromopsietum transsilvanicae. Both new associations are classified into the alliance Caricion austroalpinae and treated as a long-term successional stage in the belt of altimontane beech forests from the association Ranunculo platanifolii-Fagetum.

The results of a phytosociological investigation of the Quercus coccifera L. stands occurring along the Adriatic and Ionian coasts in south Albania are given. The surveyed stands are localized in the Thermo-Mediterranean and Meso-Mediterranean belts. On the basis of literature and unpublished data, Q. coccifera stands extend from the shoreline up to 680 m of altitude, within the Quercetea ilicis vegetation zone. According to numerical analysis, Q. coccifera stands in south Albania can be divided into two broad groups forming macchia of 3–4 m height and low shrublands [0.5–1.5(-2) m)] defined primarily by degree of human pressure and altitudes. In addition, relevés from Q. coccifera stands in Albania were differentiated from Croatian and Montenegrin the Fraxino orni-Quercetum cocciferae associations. Conversely, Q. coccifera stands in south Albania share several biological and ecological similarities with those of the eastern Adriatic coast: hemicryptophytes prevailed and the chorological spectrum highlights a clear dominance of the steno-Mediterraneans. With respect to indicator values, an important differentiation from the eastern Adriatic associations was shown only in higher light intensity of the stands in Albania.

In the southern Julian Alps we described two communities whose tree layer is dominated by species from the genus Sorbus and noted two successional stages in the overgrowing of abandoned agricultural land (pastures, hay meadows). In the secondary succession on former subalpine pastures above the alp Planina Razor und under the Breginjski Stol ridge, where potential natural vegetation consists of subalpine beech forest, dwarf pine has been overgrown with mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) whose stands are classified into the new association Rhododendro hirsuti-Sorbetum aucupariae. Whitebeam (Sorbus aria) has established itself on steep former hay meadows in the belt of altimontane beech forests under Mts. Jalovnik and Krikov Vrh, on gullied slopes on mixed geological bedrock dominated by chert, and these stands are classified into the association Calamagrostio arundinaceae-Sorbetum ariae. While occupying only small areas these two pioneer stages, as the sites of some rare or protected species, are nevertheless important biotopes and play a vital role in protection against avalanches.

Two new and one historical site of Cyperus glomeratus were discovered in SW Slovakia along the left bank of the river Danube. After 60 years, this is the second record of the species in the country. We provide details about the historical and current distribution of C. glomeratus in Slovakia based on herbarium revision and field survey on the Slovak section of the river Danube. According to the phytosociological data collected from the new locality (Čenkov) and from the confirmed historic locality (Štúrovo), the stands with C. glomeratus were identified with less developed, ruderalized form of the association Cyperetum micheliani.

The names in Amaranthaceae published by R. de Visiani are investigated. Amaranthus gangeticus var. cuspidatus is a nomen nudum and thus invalid according to Art. 38.1a of the ICN. Amaranthus hierichuntinus, Atriplex patula var. hastifolia, and Chenopodium album var. oblongum are lectotypified, respectively, on a specimen preserved at PAD, and illustrations by Scopoli and Vahl. We here propose to synonymyze the three names (new synonymies) respectively with Amaranthus graecizans subsp. graecizans, Atriplex patula subsp. patula, and the type subspecies of C. album. For nomenclatural purposes, also the name C. lanceolatum Willd. (heterotypic synonym of C. album subsp. album) is investigated and lectotypified, on a specimen preserved at B.

Based on floristic data and applied taxonomy there are currently 813 species and subspecies in Slovenia – 638 mosses, 173 liverworts and 2 hornworts. Based on the IUCN 3.1 criteria, which we applied to bryophytes following Hallingbäck et al. (1998), there are 164 species (20.17%) listed under threatened categories, of which 121 (18.97%) are mosses and 43 (24.57%) are liverworts; 7 of them (0.86%) are in the CR category, 83 (10.21%) in the EN category and 74 (9.10%) are listed under the VU category. There are 23 species (2.83%) in the near threatened (NT) category, while 163 species (20.05%) are data deficient (DD). The Least Concern (LC) category currently comprises 463 (56.95%) species.