New records in non-native vascular plants of Russian Lapland

The non-native vascular plants of Murmansk Region (European Russia) are under active investigation towards the compilation of the first complete checklist. This work is part of the project 'Flora of Russian Lapland', which ultimately aims at the complete inventory of the taxonomy, distribution and status of vascular plant species in Murmansk Region, based on the comprehensive database of herbarium specimens, field observations and literature. New territory-level records of non-native vascular plants emerged during our inventory of herbarium collections and recent fieldwork. Fourteen species (Anthemis ruthenica, Aruncus dioicus, Bromus commutatus, Chaerophyllum hirsutum, Galega orientalis, Geum aleppicum, Leonurus quinquelobatus, Lepidium densiflorum, Levisticum officinale, Myrrhis odorata, Phleum phleoides, Prunus armeniaca, Rorippa sylvestris, Senecio vernalis) are reported as new to Murmansk Region. The historical occurrences of alien plants appeared in the territory largely as contaminants (of seed or forage). In particular, Rorippa sylvestris and Senecio vernalis arrived with the forage imported during the Second World War. All recent occurrences originated by escape from confinement (ornamental purposes, horticulture, agriculture), reflecting a high diversity of the modern assortment of cultivated plants in commerce and private gardens. Regarding the invasion status, five alien species are considered casual and eight species are treated as locally established or persisting (for uncertain time). Only one species, Galega orientalis, is considered naturalised and capable of further spreading in the territory, although without invasive potential.

New and rare alien species of vascular plants in the Primorye Territory

The article provides information on twelve new species of alien plants for the flora of the Primorye Territory, assesses the prospects for their further settlement. Data on new and confirmed localities of the adventive species of vascular plants rare for the regional flora are also provided, including the growth of Myosoton aquaticum confirmed by herbarium collections on the territory of the Russian Far East for a number of years in the only location.

Vascular plants occurrences in Dokdo Islands, Korea, based on herbarium collections and legacy botanical literature

The vascular flora of the Dokdo Islands has been reported, based on primary collections made in 2012 and 2013 and legacy botanical literature. The Dokdo Islands are the remotest islands of Korea, located in the East Sea approximately 87 km from Ulleungdo Islands. They comprise two main volcanic islands, Dongdo (east islands) and Seodo (west islands) and minor islets surrounding the two main islands. This research was conducted to document vascular plant species inhabiting Korea's most inaccessible islands. We present a georeferenced dataset of vascular plant species collected during field studies on the Dokdo Islands over the past seven decades. In the present inventory of the flora of Dokdo, there are listed 108 species belonging to 78 genera and 39 families, including 93 native species and 15 newly human-induced naturalised species for these Islands' flora. The Poaceae and Asteraceae families are the most diverse, with 22 and 15 taxa, respectively. Some of the previously-listed taxa were not found on Dokdo probably because they are rare and the limited time did not allow collectors to find rare species. The spread of introduced species, especially the invasive grass Bromus catharticus Vahl., affects several native species of Dokdo flora.

The Kiandra leek orchid is the previously presumed extinct mignonette leek orchid (Orchidaceae; Orchidoideae): evidence from morphological comparisons

Prasophyllum morganii (Orchidaceae), the mignonette leek orchid, was first collected from a single population in the subalps of Victoria, Australia, in 1929 but has not been collected since 1933. A morphologically similar leek orchid, P. retroflexum, was described in 2000 from Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales, Australia. We measured 51 morphological traits on 14 field collected and 13 herbarium specimens of P. retroflexum, and six historical herbarium collections of P. morganii. In addition, we conducted a comparison of the types of both species with the field and herbarium specimens. Multivariate analyses were undertaken using 35 characters, and an ordination performed on range-standardised data. Results show no morphological differences between specimens identified as P. morganii and P. retroflexum, and we conclude they are conspecific.

Reproductive phenological shifts and other phylogenetic trait changes in the Arbutoideae (Ericaceae) in the context of drought, seed predation, and fire.

Phenology is an ecologically critical attribute that commonly is coordinated with other plant traits. Phenological shifts may be the result of evolutionary adjustments to persistently new conditions, or transitory, varying with annual flux in abiotic conditions. In summer-dry, fire-prone Mediterranean-climates, for example, many plant lineages have historically migrated from forests to more arid shrublands resulting in adaptive trait changes. These shifts in habitat abiotic conditions and biotic interactions influence morphology of flowers and fruits and will interact with phenological timing. The Arbutoideae (Ericaceae) is one lineage that illustrates such modifications, with fruit characters evolving among genera from fleshy to dry fruit, thin to stony endocarps, and bird to rodent dispersal, among other changes. We scored herbarium collections and used ancestral trait analysis to determine phenological shifts among the five Arbutoid genera found in semi-arid climates. Our objective was to determine if phenology shifts with the phylogenetic transition to different reproductive characters. Our results indicate that phenological shifts began with some traits, like the development of a stony endocarp or dry fruits, but not with all significant trait changes. We conclude that early phenological shifts correlating with some reproductive traits were permissive for the transition to other later character changes.

Updated Checklist of Vascular Plants Endemic to Mongolia

The aim of the present study is to update the checklist of vascular plants endemic to Mongolia using previous checklists, publications, herbarium collections, and field observations. The revised checklist includes 102 endemic taxa (95 species, five subspecies, and two nothospecies) from 43 genera and 19 families. The majority of endemic taxa were distributed in western and central Mongolia, and high endemic species richness was identified in four phytogeographical regions, namely Mongolian Altai, Khangai, Dzungarian Gobi, and Gobi Altai, which harbor 49, 27, 20, and 16 endemic taxa, respectively. For each endemic taxon, we compiled information about growth form, conservation status (if already assessed), phytogeographical distribution, and voucher specimens. Data on each taxon’s type specimen were also collected, and the majority of the type specimens were accessioned at the LE (58 taxa), MW (20 taxa), and UBA (7 taxa) herbaria.

SUBSTRATE GROUPS OF BRYOPHYTES IN THE TERRITORY OF THE ZNESINNYA REGIONAL LANDSCAPE PARK (LVIV, UKRAINE)

The article presents data on the diversity and substrate groups of bryoflora of the Znesinnya Regional Landscape Park (Znesinnya RLP), located in the city of Lviv (Western Ukraine). Based on field research carried out in the period 2015-2018 and analysis of herbarium collections, an inventory was made of the bryoflora of the Znesinnya RLP. A total of 113 species of bryoflora belonging to 66 genera, 35 families and 2 divisions are presented from the investigated area. Of these, 105 species are members of the division Bryophyta and 8 belong to Marchantiophyta. Six regionally rare species of bryophytes have been recorded, namely Pellia endiviifolia, P. epiphylla, Encalypta streptocarpa, Fissidens exilis, Cirriphyllum crassinervium and Sciurohypnum starkei. With regard to substrate preferences, epigeous species of bryophytes predominated and accounted for 89.0% of the total number of species. The largest proportion of bryophytes occurred on bare soil (46.0%), while 36.3% and 25.7% species were found on soil among herbaceous vegetation and on soil with gravel, respectively. Stony substrates were colonized by 42.5% of bryophyte species, with 19.5% of species occurring on artificial stony substrates. In addition, 24.8% of the species belonged to epixils inhabiting old stumps and logs of varying degrees of decay, and the same proportion was represented by epiphytic species of bryophytes. The smallest proportion (10.7%) of bryophytes was confined to water bodies and swampy ecotopes.

The flora of south-eastern Mato Grosso State (Brazil): a review of herbarium collections

The diversity and richness of the Brazilian flora are documented in herbarium collections. When areas are deforested, but not documented, we lose both flora and the opportunity to know which species occupied those areas. The south-eastern mesoregion of Mato Grosso State, comprising 22 municipalities, has undergone the loss of native vegetation cover, accelerated by the substantial expansion of agribusiness. For an in-depth look at the consequences and the current state of the flora in that mesoregion, we consulted both speciesLink and JABOT databases. More specifically, we carried out a comprehensive study of herbarium collections by municipality and compiled data including scientific name, collection date, collection locality, collector name and observations made during collection. We obtained 5,861 records of angiosperms, ferns and lycophytes of 160 families, 770 genera and 1,792 species. The specimens are deposited in 80 herbaria of which the Herbarium of Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT) hosts the largest collection. Rondonópolis was the most sampled municipality, whereas 50% of the municipalities were poorly sampled and one showed no collection records at all. Amongst the species occurring only in Mato Grosso, eleven were collected only in that mesoregion and twenty species were under some degree of threat. Our study recommends increasing collection and identification efforts to enable effective conservation actions and improve richness estimates for the State of Mato Grosso and the Cerrado, in general, before more of the flora is lost to deforestation.

Potential spesies from the Dipterocarp family at Mandailing Natal Forest Production Management Unit, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Sumatra has extensive forests, rich in tree species, especially the Dipterocarpaceae species, which have high economic and ecological value in the development sector. The enormous number of Dipterocarpaceae species and the paucity of herbarium collections make identifying species quite easy. The study’s goal was to learn more about the Dipterocarpaceae family tree’s species, diameter, and height in the Mandailing Natal Forest Production Management Unit (KPHP ) in North Sumatra. Diameter and height data of Shorea sp was based on secondary data processing. The inventory revealed that the Dipterocarpaceae family has 12 different species. Trees in the Dipterocarpaceae family have an average diameter of 44.5 cm and a height of 20 cm. This inventory is expected to offer information on the several Dipterocarpacea families that can be found in this area, particularly those with high economic value and those that are protected.